Zheng He | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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鄭和 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
![]() Statue from a modern monument to Zheng He at the Stadthuys museum in Malacca City, Malaysia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Ma He 1371[1] Kunming, Yunnan, Yuan dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died | 1433 (aged 61–62) or 1435 (aged 63–64) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Other names |
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Occupation(s) | Admiral, diplomat, explorer, bureaucrat | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Era | Ming dynasty | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Chinese name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 鄭和 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 郑和 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Birth name | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Traditional Chinese | 馬和 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Simplified Chinese | 马和 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese admiral, explorer, diplomat, and bureaucrat during the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644). He is often regarded as the greatest admiral in Chinese history. Born into a Muslim family as Ma He, he later adopted the surname Zheng conferred onto him by the Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–1424).[2] Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng commanded seven treasure voyages across Asia under the commission of the Yongle Emperor and the succeeding Xuande Emperor (r. 1425–1435). According to legend, Zheng's largest ships were almost twice as long as any wooden ship ever recorded, and carried hundreds of sailors on four decks.
A favorite of the Yongle Emperor, whom Zheng assisted in the Jingnan campaign that overthrew the previous Jianwen Emperor in 1402, Zheng He rose to the top of the Ming imperial hierarchy and served as commander of the southern capital Nanjing.