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Zheng He
Ming court eunuch from Yunnan who between 1405 and 1433 led seven fleets across the Indian Ocean to Southeast Asia, India, Arabia and the coast of East Africa
Mural of the event “Zheng He's Voyages”, which this person took part in.
In the Yongle era, the empire was strong, and Chengzu vigorously sought to proclaim Great Ming's prestige overseas and develop peaceful tribute trade. At the same time, the court also tried to explore the geographic boundaries of the vast sea.
Also known as Xiao Zi Ma San Bao
Zheng He, born Ma, came from a Muslim family of Kunyang in Yunnan; the epitaph that Li Zhigang wrote for his father says both his grandfather and father had made the pilgrimage to Mecca. Taken into the household of the Prince of Yan as a boy eunuch, he distinguished himself in the prince's war for the throne, rose to director of palace eunuchs and in 1404 received the surname Zheng. In the sixth month of 1405 he and Wang Jinghong sailed for the Western Ocean; the History of Ming (Mingshi) counts more than 27,800 men and sixty-two large ships on that first voyage. Over seven voyages that ran into the Xuande reign he called at Champa, Java, Malacca, Ceylon and Calicut and reached Hormuz, Aden and Mogadishu. He is generally thought to have died on the return leg of the seventh voyage in 1433. Ma Huan and Fei Xin, who sailed with him, wrote accounts of the lands they visited, the Yingya shenglan and the Xingcha shenglan.
Life and times
- c. 1371 CEBorn
Ming - 1405Zheng He's Voyages
Took partZheng He led seven Ming voyages through Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean, conducting diplomacy and trade as far as East Africa.- Zheng He's Maritime ExpeditionsAdmiral Zheng He's Seven Treasure Fleet Voyages to 30+ Nations
- Zheng He's First Voyagec. 1405From 1405 to 1407 Zheng He's first voyage carried the Ming mission through Southeast Asian and Indian Ocean routes.
- Zheng He's Second Voyagec. 1407From 1407 to 1409 Zheng He's second voyage sailed to Java, Calicut, Cochin and Siam, whose kings sent tribute of local treasures.
5 more
- Zheng He's Third Voyagec. 1409From 1409 to 1411 Zheng He's third voyage reached Sri Lanka and became involved in a local conflict.
- Zheng He's Fourth Voyagec. 1413From 1413 to 1415 Zheng He's fourth voyage extended the fleet's western ocean route toward Hormuz.
- Zheng He's Fifth Voyagec. 1417From 1417 to 1419 Zheng He's fifth voyage escorted foreign envoys and revisited Indian Ocean ports.
- Zheng He's Sixth Voyagec. 1421From 1421 to 1422 Zheng He's sixth voyage continued the Ming court's long-distance diplomatic and escort mission.
- Zheng He's Seventh Voyagec. 1431From 1431 to 1433 Zheng He's seventh voyage visited Hormuz and other states before the fleet returned.
- Zheng He's Third Voyage
- Zheng He's Maritime Expeditions
- c. 1433 CEDieddeath by another account 1435
Works
Literature · Prose1- Record of the Miraculous Responses of the Celestial ConsortMingStele set up by Zheng He and his officers at Changle in 1431, recording their seven voyages
