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Why didn't ancient Asian nations develop sea going ships (like the English or Pheonicians)?

they certainly were technologically sophisticated enough, and were excellent coastal sailors. Why did they never venture out to sea? Amazing answers everyone. I'm so suprised to learn that the ancient chinese DID travel the globe in ships! You are all very informed. Thanks for great answers (now, how do I pick one best?)

Public Comments

1. According to the link below, China did, if you consider dates pre-BC as ancient.
2. There are two aspects to this. One is definitely technological, despite the point about technological sophistication. Jared Diamond (In "Guns Germs, and Steel") argues convincingly for technology based on geography http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guns,_Germs,_and_Steel Those with the best luck in their natural resources were able to exploit positive feedback loops in order to develop their technology first. The other aspect is cultural. You might want to consider Max Weber's argument about the protestant ethic being the seedbed for capitalism. Calvinist Christianity created a restless, anxious and work-dominated mentality which found outlet in capitalism. Once the logic of endless accumulation of wealth for its own sake caught hold, there was no stopping the merchants. Eastern cultures were technologically the equal, but had no driving reason to expand and conquer for trade.
3. Actually they did. I've heard stories of ancient Chinese sailors having made it to sub-Saharan Africa. And don't forget the Polynesians; they populated the entire South Pacific as far East as Easter Island (assuming of course you consider them "Asian").
4. Well, the Chinese did go out to sea and discover things, but, they soon saw that they were better equipped and more advanced than anyone else. Because of that, they stopped looking at the outside world and instead looked inward, forgetting the about it. They did provide some inventions though, like paper, the compass, and gunpowder that helped the other great seafaring nations like Spain and Portugal dominate the New World. Hope this helps! =D
5. Well in ancient times there were more often tribes than nations, but they certainly did develop sea-going ships. The Polynesian colonisation of the Pacific certainly wasn't done with coastal craft. Sometime between 3 and 2,000 years go, they were able to successfully migrate from island to island over large distances, eventually reaching the far corner of Easter island within the last 1,000 years. Various peoples of the East Indies developed sturdy sea-going craft, though they were normally used for traversing the sometimes turbulent waters of the archipelago. In the medieval period at a time when the Portuguese were only starting to feel their way around the African coast with caravels, Chinese navigator Zheng He's fleet consisted of large 'treasure ships', sent off on voyages of exploration. They sailed far into the Indian Ocean, probably reaching the Persian Gulf and coast of Africa.
6. You don't know sh*t about maritime history... the ASIANS had LARGE SHIPS for centuries before the Europeans had them
7. In 1421 China had a great treasure fleet which supposedly circumvented the globe. Maps made from this voyage were supposedly used by Columbus to discover America.