In the book When China Dominated the Seas, Levathes talks about seven voyages made by Chinese armadas during the reign of Emperor Zhu Di. Admiral Zheng controlled many "treasure ships". These ships traded in silk, porcelain, and many other fine goods. They sailed from India to East Africa, via Korea and Japan, and may even have traveled as far as Australia. Levathes believes that it would have been very possible for China to create a large kingdom that would rule for a hundred years even before Europeans explored and expanded, with the giant Chinese navy consisting of around three thousand of these great treasure ships. the purpose of the fleet was diplomacy. Zhu Di's intention in making his ascension to the Dragon Throne known to the rest of the world was to publicize it in the best way possible. He intended to use a fleet of massive treasure ships to do this. The ships in his fleet were just over four hundred feet long and could carry around three thousand tons. They were filled with the finest porcelain, lacquerware and silks of the empire. These were certainly the largest ships most people had ever seen at that time. This intimidated other countries, which Zhu Di appreciated because he wanted the "four corners of the earth" to demean themselves to China as a Middle Kingdom. The astonishing size and wealth that the fleet represented would make most leaders consider starting trade with China. These “treasure ships” were filled with expensive goods and were transported to trading ports throughout the Indian Ocean. These ships also occasionally intervened in the affairs of other nations in order to obtain the best trade terms for China from those other nations. There is a unique look at a period...... middle of paper ...... Africans who are closer to them. I also found it somewhat interesting that those who commanded the fleets and armies in China were mostly eunuchs. These eunuchs were fiercely loyal to the emperor. Levathes describes in depth how prisoners would be castrated and become eunuchs. Zheng He was the commander of the Zhu Di treasure ship fleet. Although he was a eunuch, he was not stereotypical; he had a loud, booming voice and was about six feet tall. Zheng He died during his return trip to China and is now recognized as one of the greatest real-life legends of all time. I found this book quite interesting to read. I appreciated how Levathes researched this book and wrote it to try to explain this specific time period and how it is non-fiction. When China dominated the seas: The reassuring fleet of the dragon's throne, (1405-1433) by Louise Lévathes