Zheng He

Zheng He
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	Ma He Ma Sanbao Cheng Ho Mahmud Shams
Occupation(s)	Admiral, diplomat, explorer, bureaucrat
Era	Ming dynasty
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	鄭和
Simplified Chinese	郑和
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Zhèng Hé Wade–Giles Cheng4 Ho2 Yale Romanization Jèng Hé IPA [ʈʂə̂ŋ xɤ̌] Wu Romanization Zen Wu Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Jehng Wòh Jyutping Zeng6 Wo4 IPA [tsɛːŋ˨ wɔː˩] Southern Min Hokkien POJ Tēⁿ Hô Tâi-lô Tēnn Hô
Birth name
Traditional Chinese	馬和
Simplified Chinese	马和
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Mǎ Hé

Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese fleet 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.