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  1. The Seven Voyages of Zheng He

    Article. Admiral Zheng He (aka Cheng Ho, c. 1371-1433 CE) was a Chinese Muslim eunuch explorer who was sent by the Ming dynasty emperor Yongle (r. 1403-1424 CE) on seven diplomatic missions to increase trade and secure tribute from foreign powers. Between 1405 and 1433 CE Zheng He commanded huge fleets loaded with trade goods and high-value ...

  2. Zheng He

    On his second voyage, in 1408-09, Zheng He again visited Calicut—stopping as well in Chochin along the coast to the south—but encountered treachery from King Alagonakkara of Ceylon.Zheng defeated Alagonakkara's forces and took the king back to Nanjing as a captive. In October 1409 Zheng He set out on his third voyage.

  3. Seven Voyages of Zheng He

    After Zhu Di became the Yongle emperor in 1402, Ma He was renamed Zheng He in honor of that battle. He continued to serve alongside the emperor and became the commander of China's most important ...

  4. Zheng He

    Zheng He commanded the largest and most advanced fleet the world had ever seen. The voyages were intended to display China's power and culture and bring foreign treasures back to the Ming court. Zheng He set sail on his first voyage in 1405, commanding some 27,800 men.

  5. The Seven Voyages of Zheng He: When China Ruled the Seas

    Admiral Zheng He, surrounded by the "treasure ships," by Hong Nian Zhang, late twentieth century, via National Geographic Magazine On July 11, 1405, after an offering of prayers to the goddess protector of sailors, Tianfei, the Chinese admiral Zheng He and his Treasure Fleet set out for its maiden voyage. The mighty armada comprised of 317 ships, 62 of them being enormous "treasure ships ...

  6. Zheng He

    The Emperor chose Zheng He to command this fleet. He would be the official ambassador of the imperial court to foreign countries. This would begin Zheng He's maritime career, and some of the most impressive exploration journeys in history. Voyages Principal Voyage Zheng He's first voyage (1405-1407) began in July 1405.

  7. READ: Zheng He (article)

    Near the end of the voyage Zheng He's ships encountered pirates in the Sumatran port of Palembang. The pirate leader pretended to submit, with the intention of escaping. However, Zheng He started a battle, easily defeating the pirates — his forces killing more than 5,000 people and taking the leader back to China to be beheaded.

  8. Zheng He

    Admiral Zheng He or Cheng Ho (simplified Chinese: 郑和; traditional Chinese: 鄭和; pinyin: Zhènghé; Wade-Giles: Chêng-ho; 1371-1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during the early Ming dynasty often regarded as the greatest admiral in Chinese history.He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname ...

  9. Zheng He

    1413-15: Fourth Voyage. A map shows the fourth voyage of Chinese explorer Zheng He. Zheng He revisits the principal ports of Asia, stops at Hormuz, and then sends part of his fleet down the coast of Arabia and into the Red Sea. The fleet then continues down the eastern coast of Africa to modern-day Somalia and Kenya, almost to the Mozambique ...

  10. Admiral Zheng He's Voyages to the "West Oceans"

    Zheng He's voyages took place in an era of costly military expansions and construction projects, including wars against the Mongols and Việt Nam, as well as the building of the new capital city (Beijing). ... For instance, Malacca—Zheng He's most important port after those in China—was transformed into a crucial hub of an expanding ...

  11. The legendary Chinese seafarer the West overlooks

    Zheng embarked on his last voyage in 1431, and he died en route in what is now Kolkata (formerly Calcutta). He was buried at sea. Soon after, the new emperor outlawed most formal maritime trade.

  12. The Ming Voyages

    Zheng He organized this expedition but did not actually lead it in person. Zheng He did command the third voyage (1409-1411) with 48 large ships and 30,000 troops, visiting many of the same places as on the first voyage but also traveling to Malacca on the Malay peninsula and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

  13. The Astonishing Voyages of Zheng He

    Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He led seven epic voyages across the South China Sea and the Indian Ocean. These expeditions, involving hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of men, were virtually unparalleled in scale and ambition. The Zheng He voyages showcased the technological, navigational, and diplomatic achievements of China's Ming ...

  14. Zheng He's Voyages of Discovery

    Maritime history in the fifteenth century is essentially the Zheng He story and the effects of Zheng He's voyages. For instance, Malacca, on the Malayan peninsula, and Zheng He's most important port after those in China, in the fifteenth century became the great port and hub of a trading network that extended across Southeast Asia and up to China.

  15. Biography of Zheng He, Chinese Admiral

    Updated on July 03, 2019. Zheng He (1371-1433 or 1435) was a Chinese admiral and explorer who led several voyages around the Indian Ocean. Scholars have often wondered how history might have been different if the first Portuguese explorers to round the tip of Africa and move into the Indian Ocean had met up with the admiral's huge Chinese fleet.

  16. Voyages of Zheng He

    In 1424, the Yongle Emperor died. His successor, the Hongxi Emperor (r. 1424-1425), stopped the voyages during his short reign. Zheng He made one more voyage during the reign of Hongxi's son, the Xuande Emperor (r. 1426-1435); the emperor allowed the old man to make the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca.

  17. About Zheng He

    About Zheng He. In China's maritime story Zheng He (1371-1433) is an almost mythic figure. He was a Muslim by birth, born in Yunnan in 1371 shortly after the fall of the Yuan Dynasty. Over the next 24 years Zheng He had a successful career as an influential eunuch, before being appointed to lead the great voyages. Zheng He was a senior ...

  18. Zhen He Travelling to the West, Admiral Zheng He

    Zhen He's Voyages to the West. Zheng He. Zheng He (or Ma Sanbao) (1371-1433 AD) was a court eunuch, marine explorer and fleet admiral, born into an adventurous Muslim family in Kunyang of Yunnan Province. His grandfather was a noble from the Mongolian tribe and once made a pilgrimage to Mecca. Ma Sanbao had an elder brother and two sisters.

  19. Zheng He summary

    Zheng He, or Cheng Ho orig. Ma Sanbao, (born c. 1371, Kunyang, Yunnan province, China—died April 1433, Calicut, ... Malacca, and Java, traveled through the Indian Ocean as far as Sri Lanka, and returned to China in 1407. Subsequent voyages took him to Arabia, the eastern coast of Africa, Southeast Asia, and India. Chinese emigration to, and ...

  20. The Ming Voyages of Cheng Ho (Zheng He), 1371-1433

    THE MING VOYAGES OF CHENG HO (ZHENG HE), 1371-1433*. One of the most important historical reasons for the Chinese to view themselves as the Middle Kingdom or Zhongguo, and for the attitude to persist into the 19th century that foreign countries should be treated as tributary or vassal states, were the seven voyages. during the Ming dynasty.

  21. The Legacy of Zheng He and the Ming Dynasty Sea Voyages

    Overview. During the early years of the Ming dynasty, a young Chinese Muslim boy by the name of Ma He (1371-1433) was captured by the Chinese army, along with other children. At the young age of thirteen, Ma was castrated and made a servant to one of the emperor's sons. Ma grew into a strong warrior and favorite officer of the prince.

  22. Zheng He: Medieval China's Legendary Muslim Explorer

    The newly minted Zheng He would also fight beside Zhu Di in his most important war, a coup to depose his nephew. They succeeded, and Zhu Di became the emperor known to history as Yongle, "eternal happiness." ... The First Voyage. Zheng He remained a Muslim, but he was broad-minded in religious practice. At the last Chinese port the fleet ...

  23. Zheng He

    Learn about Zheng He, the admiral of seven voyages from China to the Indian Ocean and a symbol of Ming Dynasty Chinese expansionism in this clip from The Story of China. The aim of the voyages was to display China's power and wealth, to extend the tributary system, and satisfy Emperor Yongle's desire for glory. The expeditions sailed as far as East Africa and brought back many gifts from other ...