> The Emperor had no competitors so he had no incentive to find new lands first. Competition leads to innovation. Monopolies lead to stagnation. From memory...

> The Emperor had no competitors so he had no incentive to find new lands first. Competition leads to innovation. Monopolies lead to stagnation. From memory... The Ming around 1420-ish closed down the sea voyages to divert all military resources to defending the northern desert approaches to China. Because China had been ruled by the Mongols from 1250 to 1350, the dangers were fresh in the minds of the Chinese leadership when the tribes started raiding again, and building the Great Wall and Forbidden City for defense were more important than exploring and defending against the Great Southern Ocean.