Zheng He was a Chinese Muslim soldier, diplomat and admiral, and is remembered as the greatest explorer in Chinese history. Captured and castrated at the age of ten, he quickly rose in status within the court of the Yongle Emperor thanks to his military and intellectual skills. For 20 years in the early 15th century, he led seven voyages of discovery around the Indian Ocean, travelling as far as Arabia and East Africa. These voyages spread Chinese influence and culture throughout the region and cemented China’s hold over much of Southeast Asia. They also planted the seed for the western world’s obsession with the riches and tales of the Far East.
“THE SHEER SCALE OF HIS FLEET WAS INCREDIBLE: 317 SHIPS CARRIED AROUND 27,800 MEN,”
BIRTH AND EARLY LIFE
Zheng He was born Ma Sanbao in c.1371 in the Yunnan province of China. Ma was raised in the Hui community – Chinese Muslims descended from Mongol Turkish migrants. The surname Ma comes from the Chinese rendition of Mohammed and the family was descended from an early Mongol governor of Yunnan.
Yunnan province was the last Mongol stronghold in China after their Yuan dynasty had been overthrown by the Ming dynasty in 1368. In 1381, Ming armies
