"This new biography of the Chinese explorer Zheng He sheds new light on one of the most important "what if" questions of early modern history: why a technically advanced China did not follow the same path of development as the major European powers." "Written by China scholar Edward L. Dreyer, Zheng He outlines what is known of the eunuch Zheng He's life and describes and analyzes his early fifteenth-century voyages on the basis of Chinese evidence. Locating the voyages firmly within the context of early Ming history, it addresses the political motives of Zheng He's voyages and how they affected China's attitude toward the outside world in subsequent centuries."--BOOK JACKET