How did Europeans explore China?

As early as the15th century, Spanish grape merchants gained huge benefits from their new trade with India and China, so Europe, especially the British, began to be interested in expanding trade with the East. To this end, they decided to find a route from northwest or northeast to Asia.

The first route they considered was the Arctic Ocean. At that time, explorers already knew that there was no ice at the northern end of Norway, and Russian fishermen would sail eastward through Noerkang Point to reach the ob river Valley.

Regarding the northwest route, 1497, caputo, an Italian sailor, once sailed to Britain along the Finnish coast. However, the hope of crossing the ice sea along the northwest route to China is too slim. Three years later, Yael brothers took a Spanish ship and sailed north along the coast of the continental United States to the endless sea of ice.

In order to explore the unknown world, 155 1 year, 1 exploration company was established in London, which became the activity center for finding northeast routes at that time. At that time, Hugh Ullobi was appointed as the first expedition leader, and the vice captain was Tashira.

When the ship commanded by Tashira arrived in the Baltic Sea at the northern end of Scandinavia, they met Scottish businessmen. They thought it was crazy for them to find the northeast route to China, so they advised them not to continue their exploration. However, Tashira ignored the businessman's warning and continued to set off for China Eastern Airlines.

In summer, the days get longer and longer, and then there is no night. Finally, Tashira finally reached today's Forrest Gump Thesker, which is the mouth of the Duvina River in the north of the White Sea.

Tashira met the emissary of Russian Emperor Ivan IV here, and the emissary invited him to Moscow1400km away. He accepted the invitation and went to Moscow to meet Ivan IV. /kloc-in the summer of 0/554, that is, more than a year after leaving England, Tashira returned to England safely with a personal letter from Ivan IV, hoping to open a trade network with England.

After opening up the trade network with Russia, Britain established Moscow-Belgium Company between Persia and Russia, and at the same time, the company continued to look for the northeast route.

After entering the era of Queen Elizabeth, the goal is to find the sea route to China and explore the northwest route.

1576, according to the map of the world drawn by 1569, Martin Frobisher, an Englishman, thought that only by sailing westward would there be a sea route to China. In order to find the northwest route, he led an expedition composed of two British ships, landed in Greenland first, then sailed westward, and finally discovered Frobisher Bay in baffin island.

Explorers believe that the land ahead is Asia. When approaching the coast of the new world, many small humans paddled in leather canoes and were very surprised to see these foreign ships. In fact, these people with Mongolian faces are Eskimos. However, Frobisher mistook them for China people. To prove that he discovered China, he brought an Eskimo and his boat back to England. In addition, Frobisher discovered and collected black rocks which may be gold deposits in baffin island.

When Frobisher returned to London with booty and expedition, the response from all walks of life was enthusiastic.

However, the Eskimos who were brought back to England soon died of acclimatization. Only the black rocks brought back from baffin island became the focus of research. Because this kind of rock will give off a golden flame when put in a fire, it is mistaken for gold ore, which has aroused the interest of many businessmen and queens in London. Queen Elizabeth even set up a porcelain company, hired many gold miners, and once again took Frobisher as the captain of the Arctic expedition to "dig gold" in the Arctic.

1577, Frobisher landed in Greenland for the second time. With the approval of the women workers, he named the landing area West England and established friendly relations with the Eskimos. My next goal is gold mine, so I went to baffin island, collected 200 tons of rocks, and then set off for home.

The purpose of Britain's last voyage to baffin island was to divide the Canadian Arctic into British colonies. 15 ships set sail from London, full of miners to dig gold mines, people who built houses and colonies, and various instruments.

However, when the fleet entered Frobisher Bay, it was caught in a storm. The strong wind blew the iceberg to the fleet, and all the huge teams were buried in the iceberg except one ship.

The plan to establish a colony in baffin island was dashed, and Froby was reluctant to lead the beaten army back to England. But there is unexpected news waiting for him in England. It turned out that the stone he brought back from baffin island was not gold ore, but pyrite, which had no value at all. In this way, Frobisher discovered the northwest route, and there were reports about arriving in China, and no one would believe it any more.

Eight years later, in order to map the west of England and the coast of Finland, some English sailors organized an expedition led by john davis and made three trips to the North Pole. After exploring the shallow bay along the coast of Greenland in detail, Davis decided to sail north and enter the waters of Baffin Bay. However, due to too many drifting icebergs, Davis's fleet could not move forward at all. Finally, they had to give up looking for a route to China.

1780 or so, Dutch sailors and businessmen also joined the trend of seeking wealth in China. They found their way to China by land and sea, and became the main competitors of the British. In fact, the Dutch just hope to find a northeast route to trade with Russia.

1596, the most important figure of the Dutch Arctic expedition was willem barents. They set out from Amsterdam, bypassed the northern end of the new island, entered the Kara Strait, sailed eastward in the vast ocean, and finally found Spitsbergen, the largest island in Svalbard.

When the Barents Sea Fleet approached Xindi Island, the ship was frozen. Gradually, the ice pressure around the ship was getting bigger and bigger, and the ship was gradually raised, and finally the ship was crushed to death. The Dutch crew had to abandon the ship and seek refuge along the coast of the new island.

Because there was no boat, the European explorer Barents and his team were forced to spend the winter in the Arctic for the first time. In this distant place, facing the cold climate, the team members built a winter house with broken boat supports, and at the same time moved all the available equipment on board, such as beds and lights, into the new house.

It's so cold in winter that even the sheets are frozen and the wine is frozen. The amount of fat in polar bears that can be used as lamp oil is very small, and the smoke emitted by oil lamps often makes it difficult for people in huts to breathe. Because there is no firewood for heating, before going to bed at night, you must use heated stones instead of warm water bags and put them on your feet to sleep.

Qi Xin, the team members, worked together in a difficult situation and finally survived the severe winter. They know that there is little hope of getting external assistance. If they want to return to Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, they can only go to the Kara Peninsula on their own and then find a way to spend it.

In mid-June, the weather gradually warmed up, and the team members rearranged the broken boat, loaded the remaining food and daily necessities, and set foot on the journey again.

The ice floes on the sea melted and they paddled hard. When they met the wind, they put the plane up. When they were blocked by ice, they dragged the boat to walk on the ice. Finally, these Dutch people overcame the danger and completed the most difficult long journey to reach the Kara Peninsula. By this time, Captain Barron had died of overwork.

The failure of the Barents Sea expedition made the Dutch, who had more maritime power in the East than Spain, give up the desire to find the northwest route to China. Since then, Britain has shouldered the burden of the northern route, and Britain's henry hudson and William Baffin have also become the discoverers of the Arctic route, leaving a strong mark in the history of Arctic exploration.

Hudson arrived at 1607, that is, 80 degrees and 23 minutes north latitude, to the west of Das Spitsbergen Islands. Later, he won the support of London industrialists and made an expedition for the territorial rights in Canada's Arctic Circle.

16 10 year, Hudson entered the "ocean with great vortex"-Hudson Bay from Discovery. At first, he thought it would be easy to find the way to China, but the ship was blocked by ice and his expedition had to spend the winter there.

Unfortunately, due to the rebellion of his subordinates, Hudson was abandoned on the Arctic island alone, without any food and weapons, and a generation of great explorers had to die with a grudge. However, Arctic exploration did not stop there. After the mutiny, the subordinates still drove the Discovery and continued their exploration in Hudson Bay.

16 16, another excellent British navigator, William Baffin, commanded a 50-ton ship, which passed through the northwest of Greenland and the ice group in Melville Bay, and arrived at Duri, where the current American aviation base is located. Then, in dangerous waters, Jones Strait and lancaster sound were discovered. Here, Bafen suddenly discovered that the compass had changed a lot, and only after research did he know the existence of the magnetic north pole of the earth. Bafen returned to England in August 16 19. This expedition was the most extensive and rewarding of all the expeditions before19th century.

When British and Dutch explorers were active in the Arctic Ocean, Russians also crossed the vast Siberia and expanded their power eastward. Especially after Peter the Great ascended the throne, he made greater efforts to establish Asian colonies. /kloc-In the late 7th century, Russian troops arrived in kamchatka peninsula in the Pacific Ocean.

1725, Peter the Great sent a large-scale expedition to explore the northern coast of Siberia in order to draw a map. Peter the Great entrusted this important task to the Danish Vitesse Bering. First of all, he asked Bering to lead 25 team members from Europe across the Asian continent to Okhotsk on the Pacific coast for an "inland investigation" of more than 1000 kilometers; On the second voyage, he ordered Bering to bypass kamchatka peninsula and "land on the coast of America".

When crossing the four major rivers in Russia, the biggest trouble is the difficulty of material transportation. However, with careful planning and cooperation, Bering and the players did not give in. In summer, Siberia is a humid grassland, but once it enters early winter, there are countless snowstorms. However, they managed to reach Okhotsk on the Pacific coast. From then on, their only task was to wait for Peter the Great to send a boat around kamchatka peninsula.

1727 Summer, Bering waited for nearly a year and finally got a boat. They immediately explored kamchatka peninsula. It was not until the next year that they got another boat.

The expedition bypassed kamchatka peninsula, sailed to Anand Bay, and entered the Bering Sea through an island named Saint Rollins. However, summer is over. In order to avoid the ice age, Bering had to order to return to Okhotsk.

The following summer, they made a third expedition, but the result was not satisfactory. Five years later, Bering ended his expedition and returned to St. Petersburg.

1734 organized a large-scale expedition to Okhotsk. This time, he waited for six years before taking the St. Peter of kamchatka peninsula to explore the Bering Sea. Finally, they finally saw Mount Santoni Elias in Alaska and landed on the northwest coast of the United States.

At this critical moment, Bering and his team members suffered from severe scurvy. Bering was worried that he could not spend the winter there and decided to return to China immediately. Unfortunately, when their ship passed Bering Island, it was attacked by a storm, which led to the death of the greatest Arctic explorer in 18 century in 174 1 year. Bering died unfortunately, but he completed the exploration task entrusted to him by Peter the Great.

1744, in order to trade with the Eskimos in Alaska, the Russians landed on the American continent along the sailing line of the Bering expedition and went south to San Francisco. Finally, Alaska was even incorporated into the territory of the Russian Empire.

At the same time, the British also made large-scale explorations in the inland of Canada and some coasts of the Arctic. /kloc-the beginning of the 0/9th century was the golden age of Arctic exploration. At that time, the British government placed three great expectations on the British navy, hoping that they could sail around the world, explore the Arctic coast of Canada and seek new territory in North America.

The purpose of the British government's exploration in the Arctic is mainly to worry that once the Russian empire's ambitions for the Arctic succeed, the scope of British sea power will be smaller and smaller.

What worries the British even more is that since Bering landed in Alaska, Russian businessmen and hunters have flocked to Alaska. 1784, the first white colony was established on Kodak Island in Alaska, and then a trading company was established, monopolizing all trade in Alaska.

The actions of the Russians caused great anxiety among the British. 18 18, the British parliament decided to give financial assistance to the northwest route search and the plan to reach the North Pole. In May of the same year, the British Navy immediately set up a large-scale Arctic expedition and divided it into two groups. The purpose of the first group is to reach the North Pole as far as possible, and the purpose of the second group is to find the entrance of the Northwest Passage through davis strait.

Lieutenant Colonel john ross served as the captain of the second group, and the vice captain was Captain Edward Barry, a young naval officer who later became the main figure in the Arctic expedition.

1865438+At the end of August 2008, Barry and Ross sailed into lancaster sound on the Isabella and Alexander. At that time, people thought that lancaster sound was the best route to the North Pole. However, Isabella and Alexander sailed in the channel for a day, and Ross suddenly ordered to stop.

It turned out that Ross found a series of land and mountains extending from north to south in front, while vice captain Barry and other players saw nothing but the calm sea. But Ross insisted on seeing mountains and land. In order to pay tribute to the British Secretary of the Navy, he specially named the mountain Kologa Mountain, and then ordered Isabella and Alexander to return to England.

Many people don't agree with Ross's becoming a monk halfway. They think Ross's story about the Kologa Mountains is just an excuse to return to China. This deliberate rumor not only damaged Ross's reputation, but also made it impossible for the Secretary of the Navy to explain to the government. Therefore, the British Navy organized a second expedition to lancaster sound to confirm the existence of the Kologa Mountains.

The second expedition, led by Edward Barry, set sail from England on May 6th.

During this voyage, Herak and Kriba in Bali opened up the sea area connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean, which made great contributions to the discovery of the northwest route.

When the research ship arrived in lancaster sound, the crew reported from the observation deck that there were no mountains ahead. At this time, they are located at 83 degrees 12 minutes west longitude, only a few kilometers away from the coast of the strait, and the place where Buraas reached before is deeper, but they still can't see the existence of the mountains, which proves that the Kologa Mountains are pure fantasy.

Three months later, when the Hekla and the Kriba entered the vast sea area known as the Barrow Strait today, they were blocked by huge drifting ice, and they could barely advance westward.

At the beginning of September, the expedition crossed the Melville Strait and reached longitude 1 10. According to the law passed by the British Parliament in 18 18, all the crew members can get a bonus of 500 pounds, but they are not happy at all, because Barry, standing on the observation deck of the Hekla, found that there was a large piece of ice in front of him and the ship was thrown by mistake.

They had to wait for the ice and snow in the eastern part of Cape Haniyeh to melt. However, the temperature continued to drop, and the Hekla and Kriba people had to enter the bay for the winter.

Barry and his expedition members spent a long winter there for more than three months. Fortunately, all the crew members are in good health and mental state. In order to prevent them from getting homesick, Captain Barry strictly instructed the team members to work and train and lead a regular life. At the same time, he holds dances in the evening and competitive competitions every two weeks.

182 1 In August, Barry tried to break through the trip blocked by ice, but the drifting ice was still 15 meters thick and overlapped with each other, so it was impossible to complete the plan of passing through the northwest route. They had to go back to China and stand by.

1824, Barry returned to the North Pole. The purpose of his voyage is to investigate the waters around baffin island. He spent two winters there, but the ice extended to the southern tip of baffin island. In summer, the sea was covered with dense fog and storms continued, which led to Barry's exploration failure again.

182 1 year, the British Parliament quickly passed a resolution and decided to reward the first person who reached the North Pole. Therefore, the British navy, which has actively explored the northwest route, plans to point its target at the North Pole, and at the same time regards Barry, who has made important contributions to exploring the northern route, as the best candidate.

1In the late spring of 827, Barry once again led 28 explorers to the Spizbergen Islands with the Hekla, which was once active in northwest route exploration. When they arrived at Thorenberg Bay in Spitsbergen Islands, they got off the boat and walked on the ice instead. They dragged two boats and continued to move north on the ice. When there was water later, they rowed across.

After several months' efforts, Barry's expedition finally reached 82 degrees 45 minutes north latitude, 1827 on July 26th, only 800 kilometers away from the North Pole. However, at this time, the fatigue of the players reached its peak and they had to withdraw to England again. Half a century later, no one ever reached the place where Barry arrived.

In order to go to China, the discovery of the Northwest Route has been the dream of explorers since ancient times. However, due to the constraints of the cruel natural environment in the Arctic, the northwest route has not been discovered after four centuries, which has delayed the long-standing dream of Arctic explorers to the modern 20th century.