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Course: World History Project - Origins to the Present > Unit 5
Lesson 3: Old World Webs | 5.2- READ: Archipelago of Trade
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Guilds, Wool, and Trade — Medieval England in a Global Economy
- WATCH: Guilds, Wool, and Trade — Medieval England in a Global Economy
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Silk and the Song Dynasty
- WATCH: Silk and the Song Dynasty
- READ: Zheng He (Graphic Biography)
- READ: New World Networks, 1200–1490s
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Pre-colonial Caribbean
- WATCH: Pre-Colonial Caribbean
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Aztec Empire
- WATCH: Aztec Empire
- READ: Macuilxochitl (Graphic Biography)
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Inca Empire Overview
- WATCH: Inca Empire Overview
- READ: Trade Networks and the Black Death
- READ: The Renaissance
- BEFORE YOU WATCH: Disease!
- WATCH: Disease!
- Old World Webs
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READ: Zheng He (Graphic Biography)
Zheng He was the great admiral of the Ming Dynasty. Were his expeditions peaceful trade voyages or threatening campaigns of conquest and imperialism?
The Graphic Biography below uses “Three Close Reads”. If you want to learn more about this strategy, click here.
First read: skimming for gist
This will be your quickest read. It should help you get the general idea of what the graphic biography will be about. Pay attention to the title, headings, images, and layout. Ask yourself: what is this graphic biography going to be about?
Second read: understanding content
For this reading, you should be looking for unfamiliar vocabulary words, the major claim and key supporting details, and analysis and evidence. You should also spend some time looking at the images and the way in which the page is designed.
By the end of the second close read, you should be able to answer the following questions:
- How did Zheng He come to have three names?
- What did Zheng He do as the admiral of the Ming Dynasty?
- How does Xu Zu-Yuan describe these journeys, and how does this contrast to later Portuguese expeditions in this region?
- How does Geoff Wade describe these journeys, and what is his evidence?
- How does the artist use art and design to contrast and illustrate the two big theories about Zheng He’s voyages?
Third read: evaluating and corroborating
In this read, you should use the graphic biography as evidence to support, extend, or challenge claims made in the course.
At the end of the third read, you should be able to respond to these questions:
- How does this biography of Zheng He support, extend, or challenge what you have learned about connections across Afro-Eurasia in this period?
Now that you know what to look for, it’s time to read! Remember to return to these questions once you’ve finished reading.
Zheng He (Graphic Biography)
Writer: Trevor Getz
Artist: Liz Clarke
Zheng He was the great admiral of the Ming Dynasty. Were his expeditions peaceful trade voyages or threatening campaigns of conquest and imperialism?
Download the Graphic Biography PDF here or click on the image above.
Want to join the conversation?
who was zheng he(4 votes)
The answer is right under the heading of the graphic... "A man of three names, Zheng He was a Muslim captured by the Ming Dynasty who became a valuable official and then a great admiral."(4 votes)
how does xu zu-yuan describe these journeys(4 votes)