For the Zheng He document:
What does the inscription suggest about the importance of overseas exploration to the Ming Dynasty?
Describe the relationship between the Chinese explorers and the local populations that they encountered. How did the Chinese treat these populations? How did these people respond to Chinese presence?
For the Columbus document:
How does Columbus describe the people of the New World and their customs?
What seems to be Columbus’s motivations for exploring these islands? What does he believe were the results of his explorations? Why were they important?
Bring the Documents together:
Compare both Zheng He’s and Christopher Columbus’s thoughts and treatment of “natives” encountered during their voyages.
Taking both into consideration, what motivated explorers of both the Western and Eastern worlds? What impact did this exploration have on the areas that they visited?