During the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, two noteworthy expeditions to encounter new parts of the world were carried out by Europe and China. China's main incentive for Zheng-He's voyage was based principally on curiosity, while Europe's incentive was established on the longing for riches and economic profit (Thesis). The similarities and differences between Zheng-He's expeditions and Europe's expeditions can be perceived through the aspects of motivation, government involvement, individualism, greed, and conquest.

Europe was especially motivated by greed and conquest, while China was almost exclusively motivated by curiosity of the foreign world outside their borders (A). One of Europe's foremost motive for their voyages was to discover a resourceful to India. For example, many Portuguese sailors ventured around the Cape of Good Hope to find India, in which their cloths and spices were pertained as valuable to the European traders. As for China, Zheng-He's expedition was commanded by...