Zheng He made seven voyages to the West, with a crew of 30,000 people. Why were there women and midwives accompanying him?

Zheng He was a famous navigator in ancient my country. From the third year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty to the eighth year of Xuande, he made seven voyages to the West, reaching the southwest Pacific, South Asia, the Indian Ocean, East Africa and other places, passing through more than 30 countries and regions, and reaching as far as the Red Sea and Somalia and Kenya on the east coast of Africa, covering most of the globe.

So, how big was the fleet led by Zheng He when he sailed? According to the "History of Ming Dynasty", Zheng He's fleet had more than 200 small ships, including 62 large treasure ships. The treasure ship, which served as the flagship, was 44 zhang long and 18 zhang wide (i.e. 146.67 meters long and 50.94 meters wide), with nine masts and twelve sails. It is estimated that the displacement of this treasure ship was nearly 2,500 tons (among the navigators of later generations, the displacement of Da Gama's ship was only about 400 tons, that of Columbus was 233 tons, and that of Magellan was only 110 tons). There were about 36 such large treasure ships in Zheng He's fleet. In addition, Zheng He's fleet also had various auxiliary ships, including "escort" warships (180 feet long, 6.80 feet wide, five masts), transport ships (370 feet long, 150 feet wide, eight masts), grain ships (280 feet long, 120 feet wide, seven masts), and small passenger boats (240 feet long, 940 feet wide, six masts).

Zheng He's fleet not only had huge ships, numerous ships, and complete types, but also had a huge number of personnel. According to the "History of Ming Dynasty", Zheng He's first voyage was equipped with more than 27,800 people (some say 37,000 people). In the six subsequent voyages, except for the fifth and sixth voyages, the number of people on the other voyages was unknown, and the number of people on the other voyages remained at the level of 20,000-30,000. Among them, the largest number of people recorded was the seventh voyage, which reached more than 38,600 people according to the "Popular Romance of Sanbao Eunuch's Western Journey". Among these more than 20,000 people, almost all were soldiers of the Ming Dynasty, including generals, lieutenant generals, guerrillas, generals, and generals. In addition, in order to better enable long-term voyages, the fleet was also equipped with interpreters, medical officers, Taoist priests, and others.

However, in addition to these normal personnel, there are also some middle-aged women and old women in Zheng He's fleet. According to the tradition of Chinese coastal fishermen, it is "taboo" to carry women on ships. Because, according to ancient Chinese superstition, it is "unlucky" to have women on board. Therefore, Zheng He's fleet carrying these women this time was definitely well thought out. So, why did Zheng He's fleet carry these middle-aged women and old women? In fact, during the long voyage, the crew's clothes, shoes and hats need to be sewn and mended. Because there are many people on the voyage, the sewing work is heavy, and full-time tailors must be set up to complete these tasks. In addition, these women will also spread China's textile technology to overseas countries to help them get rid of the situation of being naked as soon as possible. Therefore, these middle-aged women are likely to be the "full-time tailors" of the fleet.

These middle-aged women are not only full-time "tailors", but also "firemen" to ensure the meals of the crew. In addition to these "miscellaneous" duties, Zheng He's fleet will also carry several "midwives". The so-called "midwives" are what was called "midwives" in ancient times, so why did Zheng He's fleet bring "midwives"? In fact, the reason is very simple, that is, to promote the "kingly rule" of the Ming Dynasty to those "uncivilized" foreign lands. You know, in the era when ancient medicine was not developed, women's childbirth was a "nine deaths and one life". These midwives can help women in foreign countries reduce the pain of childbirth and increase the survival rate of childbirth. Together with the medical officers of the fleet, they will treat the local people when the fleet docks.

Apart from the huge ships and the majestic Ming army, these women may be more welcomed by overseas countries because they spread the gospel rather than "power"!