According Meridian-Webster Dictionary, acculturation is "cultural modification of an individual, group, or people by adapting to or borrowing traits from another culture; also: a merging of cultures as a result of prolonged contact." Cultural contacts between two or more societies, in general, conduct changes in both systems whether it's political or economical. The effects of contact are characterized under the term of acculturation, a term surrounding the changes in articles, customs, and beliefs that result from cross-cultural interactions. Voluntary acculturation involves the borrowing of traits or thoughts from another culture. Forced acculturation can also occur, when one society is conquered by another and is forced to follow the stronger group's customs and culture. .
In the article, Prince Henry and Zheng He: Sailing South, "It was this commanding figure whom the emperor chose to lead his new fleet. In this role, Zheng He's task proved enormous; he was to undertake seven voyage, each of which lasted nearly two years. On his first voyage, in 1405-1407, he commanded twenty-eight thousand men on 317 ships, many of them large 'treasure ships' 400 feet long and 160 feet wide. Zheng He's first expedition traveled to India, with stops at Java and Ceylon" (124). With the mandate to collect tribute and establish relations with different societies, Zheng He negotiated commercial agreements, fought pirates, installed puppet kings, and brought back riches to the Yongle Emperor in the form of exotic animals, medical herbs, jewels, and among other items. Zheng He and his crew not only negotiated with Indonesia, Siam, Malaysia, and India, but even as far as the Arabian ports of modern-day Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Chinese culture was spread this way and eventually fused with surrounding societies. Although Zheng He is known as a figure much greater than life in modern eyes, Confucian scholars made serious attempts to erase the memory of the great eunuch navigator, fearing a return of these expensive expeditions and the little they brought.
