East vs. West in Exploration

Question: What do you think about the civilizational differences between East and West at play here? What were the main differences in the two civilizations that created such differences in their behavior as they explored foreign lands? Can you equally defend each culture's behavior?


What sets apart the West and the East during their explorations to discover new land, and to strike up a relationship with the natives? It is clear that Zheng He, throughout his voyage, had a great interest in distinct cultures, and sought diplomacy before anything, leaving violence as the final, if not unconsidered, resort. The Europeans, however, were quite the contrary. When trade stalled, they used force; when civilizations seemed detached from Christianity, they used force. These violent actions would taint the early impressions of South Asian civilizations of the European Christians. 


The main shortcoming of the European explorers was, simply put, acceptance. The Chinese, with a long history of trade with distant lands, and an almost hereditary Confucian upbringing that taught the importance of learning, saw the new lands as an opportunity - not just for commerce, but for forming cordial relationships for centuries to come. The military actions they took were only out of self-defense. Having undergone the dark ages and purely religious upbringing, many Europeans saw any religion outside of the Christian faith as evil, and that it was necessary for them as Christians to take them down. While trading was a priority, spreading of Christianity was, too, and the European explorers were determined to see their religious expansion happen, even if that meant bloodshed. Besides - what were these natives, with bizarre religious practices and not-as-advanced technology. These early observation would create a supremacist attitude that would reflect early European explorers in a bad light. 


Like all cases, violence is, no matter what the background info may be, something that cannot be justified. One could defend by saying that Europeans were influenced by society to conduct the violent acts, but would that mean Europeans are inherently more violent? No matter what the upbringing, it is wrong to hurt another group to achieve a goal. And in contrast, Ming China, with its eagerness to form relationships through diplomacy and not brute force, can be defended very easily.