特别广播英语第 325 课：A Treasure Ship Captain 郑和下西洋──三保太监的不朽航程-3

While Zheng He's main aim was to show the superiority of Ming China, he often got involved in the local politics of places he visited. 郑和下西洋的主要目的在于宣扬大明的强盛国威，但他经常卷入出访地的政治。

In Ceylon, for instance, he helped restore the legitimate ruler to the throne. 例如，在锡兰（即今天的斯里兰卡），他扶持合法统治者重登王位。

On the island of Sumatra, now part of Indonesia, he defeated the army of a dangerous pirate and took him to China for execution. 在苏门答腊岛（今天印尼的一部分)，郑和击退一支由残暴海盗领军的队伍，并将其首领押回中国处死。

Though Zheng He died in 1433 and was probably buried at sea, a grave and small monument to him still exist in Jiangsu Province. 郑和于公元1433年去世，并且可能葬身于汪洋大海之中，但江苏省现在仍有他的坟墓和一座小型纪念碑。

Three years after Zheng He's death, a new emperor banned the construction of oceangoing ships, and China's brief era of naval expansion was over. 郑和死后3年，新登基的皇帝下诏禁止远洋船舶的建造，中国这短暂的海军扩张时代也就到此结束了。

Chinese policy turned inward, leaving the seas clear for the rising nations of Europe. 中国的政策转而向内，把大海完全拱手让给欧洲新兴的国家。

Opinions vary on why this happened. Whatever the reason, conservative forces gained the upper hand, and China's potential for world domination was not realized. 中国的政策为何会发生这样的转变，一直众说纷纭。不管是什么原因，朝中保守势力占了上风，这样中国统治世界的潜力终究未能得到发挥。

Records of Zheng He's incredible voyages were burned. Not until the early 20th century did another fleet of comparable size take to the seas. 郑和令人惊叹的航海纪录也遭焚毁湮灭。直到20世纪初叶，中国才有另一支相当规模的船队驶向大海。