I was talking with my 13-year old daughter about the European discovery of the Americas and we began to wonder: is there an Asian equivalent? I.e. a person who sailed across the Pacific, found land, and returned to tell about it?
Edit: thanks everyone for great replies. I learned a lot:)
While you wait for a full response I can refer you to this prior response https://www.reddit.com/r/AskHistorians/comments/9fkika/between_1405_and_1433_zheng_he_led_seven_treasure/?utm_medium=android_app&utm_source=share
About the voyages of Zheng He, commander of the Chinese treasure fleets. They ventured from China to Arabian sea and East Africa. These were pre-existing trade routes so not new, but still considered grand feats leading the large fleets.
But be careful. On the web you will see lots of theories hypothesizing that Zheng He crossed the Pacific. That is not accepted in the historical community.
Probably the most obvious analog for an 'Asian Columbus' would be Zheng He although his maritime exploits were definitely different in nature to the sorts of voyages undertaken by Europeans starting in the late 15th century. Furthermore, there is no record of Zheng He ever having sailed across the Pacific. As far as I am aware, there are no records of any East Asian mariners from the early modern period who sailed across the Pacific. Anyways, who was Zheng He and what did he do?
Zheng He (born surnamed Ma) was a Muslim eunuch who won favor in the service of the second third Ming emperor, Zhu Di or the Yongle Emperor. The Yongle Emperor was never actually in line for the throne according to the Ming dynasty's rules of succession, having been born the fourth son of the first Ming emperor. But long story short, Zhu Di usurped the throne from the actual second Ming emperor, (probably) killed him, and then ordered official records changed to make it seem as though he had directly succeeded his father as the second emperor, despite really being the third. Through all of this rebellion and strife, Zheng (Ma) He remained a loyal confidant and ally of Zhu Di. This greatly increased Zheng He's star and by the early 15th century had become an admiral in the Chinese fleet, charged by the newly enthroned Yongle Emperor with leading the first of China's famous 'Treasure Voyages' westward across the Indian Ocean.
The seven Treasure Voyages Zheng He commanded were probably among the most remarkable maritime achievements of his time, with records of Chinese fleets hundreds of ships strong sailing from the Chinese coast across the Indian Ocean. The first voyage alone recorded 312 ships, some purported to be 440 feet in length (although this is disputed and with unit conversions and distortions in the historical record in mind, the true size of Zheng He's largest ships was likely a good bit smaller).^(1) There are considerable archaeological and written records of these events both from Chinese sources and from the peoples with which Zheng He's fleet had contact. For instance, Ming pottery is known from archaeological sites in the Middle East and up and down the African coast, from Egypt to as far south as Zimbabwe and South Africa. Chinese records indicate that Mogadishu sent ambassadors to China between 1416 and 1423.^(2) There is even this painting of a giraffe drawn by a Chinese artist some time after some specimens were brought to China with one of the treasure voyages.
These voyages have long been regarded as largely peaceful endeavors meant to act as symbols of goodwill from the Chinese court and shows of power and wealth from the Chinese state. Indeed this is still largely the orthodox view on Zheng He's voyages, at least as far as I am aware. But perhaps the truth is more complicated, as evidenced by the context in which these voyages took place. About two decades before Zheng He's first voyage, under the reign of the first Ming emperor, Yunnan was fully annexed into the polity of China where it remains to this day. Then, perhaps driven by insecurities about the legitimacy of his reign or perhaps simply driven by military ambition (the Yongle Emperor was a seasoned and experienced battle commander, having not only outmaneuvered an emperor but having also gained experience fighting against Mongol forces during the reign of his father), the Ming court pursued a policy of expansion southwards by land and by sea. The Yongle Emperor set forth an expedition into modern-day Vietnam, colonizing the northern half of the country for about three decades and instituting not only Chinese-style civil administration and education, but also moving a considerable number of soldiers into the territory to stabilize the newly conquered region.^(3) Geoff Wade has even gone as far as categorizing the voyages as displays of a sort of proto-colonialism given the historical context, although I'm not sure if I agree with that assessment. Indeed, there really isn't much to show that the Chinese fleet sailed with the intention of establishing Ming colonies in far-flung regions of the world, nor does there seem to be evidence of the Ming seeking opportunities to engage in the exploitation of the lands and peoples Zheng visited in the way that Columbus' voyage heralded for the Americas. It is difficult to avoid the fact, though, that despite the treasure fleets being laden with gold, silks, porcelains, and other precious wares intended to be given as gifts for foreign rulers across the Indian Ocean, the Ming voyages and Zheng He were still ultimately tasked with the collection of tribute as well as displaying the power and glory of the Chinese court.
Edit: See comment below regarding Japanese ships/castaways sailing across the Pacific with European help in the 17th century onwards
To take this question in a non-Zheng He direction, another interesting answer may be that the Polynesians seem to have made it to South America around the years 1,000-1,200 AD, although it’s an area of active research and little is known for certain. They were, in any case, as remarkable a society of explorers and adventurers as ever sailed. This thread with a response from u/b1uepenguin is an older one, but it’s useful for its extensive reading list if you scroll down the comments a bit.
With the comments so far relating to Zheng He and Polynesians, I want to put attention to a little known, but in my opinion, quite spectacular tale of Asian exploration across the Pacific - Japanese castaways.
Throughout history, in particular in the Edo period from 1603-1868, it was common for Japanese ships to get lost on the PAcific (especially due to the strong currents to the east of Japan), and drift surprisingly long distances, while remaining alive. When the earliest of these started is anyone's guess, especially as they had no way to return without encountering help abroad - often the steering of their ship would be broken and they lost control.
There are theories regarding the arrival of Japanese ships in Alaska and the Pacific Northwest as early as the Pre-Columbian era, and of these as the source of hte iron sometimes found at Pre-Columbian sites, such as Ozette Archaeological sites. Conclusive evidence has not been found at this point tho.
During the Edo period, overlapping with the European Age of Discovery, some drifts did make it impressively far, and did make new geographical discoveries. IN 1670 a ship of castaways became the first humans to land on the uninhabited Bonin Islands. IN 1697 Russian explorers in Kamchatka found Japanese castaways living among the native Itelmens, one of them named Dembei was brought to Europe to meet the Czar Peter the Great.
As far as Asian ships crossing the Pacific and reaching America goes, there are some candidates. In the early 1600'es the Japanese constructed the ship DATE MARU, in Spanish called SAN JUAN BAUTISTA, which was based on European ship designs. It managed to complete two round trips to Mexico, carrying with it the Japanese embassy to Europe under Hasekura Tsunenaga, However it was soon sold to the Spanish in the Philippines, and the Japanese did not construct similar ships again for two centuries.
In the late 18th century however, it is documented that some Japanese ships drifted to America, and I think these can be called the first successful crossings of the Pacific by Asian ships, although they were accidental. Daikokuya Kodayu drifted to Amchitka in the Aleutian Islands in 1783, and made it from there to Alaska. Ten years later the ship WAKAMIYA-MARU drifted to Andreitka, also in the ALeuts. IN 1834 a ship with three surviving Japanese castaways aboard drifted all the way to Cape Flattery in Washington state.
These drifts were accidental, but they do show at least the possibility that Asian seafarers could cross the Pacific and reach America. It is worth noting that none of them could make it back to tell the tale before receiving European help however.
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