Here, amongst other things, he had encounters with the Swahili peoples who traded zebras and ivory for gold and silk. There is even a famous tale of him bringing a giraffe from East Africa to China. His diplomatic success and tales of his explorations earned him much praise. Even today, Chinese communities in places such as Malacca and Indonesia have temples dedicated to him. You can even find many references to him and his travels in pop culture.
So even centuries after his death, he still travels through the world. Although Zheng He lived long ago, his experiences can teach us a lot today. One of the most important things you can take from the story of Zheng He is the realisation that our world has always been more connected than we realise.
People from different continents, countries, cultures and religions have always managed to find ways to coexist. You can also read about other Chinese, historical figures via our Legends Series. Characters Select one of the characters from this word to see the stroke order. Member Feature. Please create an account with The Chairman's Bao in order to use this feature. Join us! Not Now Become Premium. Log in. During his career as a naval commander, Zheng He negotiated trade pacts, fought pirates, installed puppet kings, and brought back tribute for the Yongle Emperor in the form of jewels, medicines, and exotic animals.
He and his crew traveled and traded not only with the city-states of what are now Indonesia, Malaysia , Siam , and India , but also with the Arabian ports of modern-day Yemen and Saudi Arabia.
Although Zheng He was raised Muslim and visited the shrines of Islamic holy men in Fujian Province and elsewhere, he also venerated Tianfei, the Celestial Consort and protector of sailors. Tianfei had been a mortal woman living in the s who achieved enlightenment as a teenager.
Gifted with foresight, she was able to warn her brother of an approaching storm at sea, saving his life. In , the Yongle Emperor passed away. Zheng He had made six voyages in his name and brought back countless emissaries from foreign lands to bow before him, but the cost of these excursions weighed heavily on the Chinese treasury.
In addition, the Mongols and other nomadic peoples were a constant military threat along China's northern and western borders. During his nine-month rule, Zhu Gaozhi ordered an end to all treasure fleet construction and repairs. A Confucianist, he believed that the voyages drained too much money from the country. He preferred to spend on fending off the Mongols and feeding people in famine-ravaged provinces instead.
When the Hongxi Emperor died less than a year into his reign in , his year-old son became the Xuande Emperor. A happy medium between his proud, mercurial grandfather and his cautious, scholarly father, the Xuande Emperor decided to send Zheng He and the treasure fleet out again. In , the year-old Zheng He set out with his largest fleet ever for one final trip around the Indian Ocean, sailing all the way to Malindi on Kenya's east coast and stopping at trading ports along the way.
On the return voyage, as the fleet sailed east from Calicut, Zheng He died. He was buried at sea, although legend says that the crew returned a braid of his hair and his shoes to Nanjing for burial. Although Zheng He looms as a larger-than-life figure in modern eyes both in China and abroad, Confucian scholars made serious attempts to expunge the memory of the great eunuch admiral and his voyages from history in the decades following his death. They feared a return to the wasteful spending on such expeditions.
In , for example, a court eunuch requested the records of Zheng He's voyages with the intention of restarting the program, but the scholar in charge of the records told him that the documents had been lost.
Zheng He's story survived, however, in the accounts of crew members including Fei Xin, Gong Zhen, and Ma Huan, who went on several of the later voyages. The treasure fleet also left stone markers at the places they visited. Today, whether people view Zheng He as an emblem of Chinese diplomacy and "soft power" or as a symbol of the country's aggressive overseas expansion, all agree that the admiral and his fleet stand among the great wonders of the ancient world.
Actively scan device characteristics for identification. Use precise geolocation data. Select personalised content. Create a personalised content profile. Main Page Sitemap Who are we? Originally born Ma He in , He was captured and castrated by soldiers as a young boy. He is credited as the first man to establish a sea route directing the western Pacific and the Indian Ocean worlds. He made seven major trips in the Indian world from around to He is a superior explorer to his European counterparts: Christopher Columbus in with three ships; Vasco de Gama in with four ships; and Ferdinand Magellan in with five ships.
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