Zheng He
A Chinese Explorer
China's Greatest Explorer
Zheng He was born in 1371 in the southern China region of Yunnan to a Hui family which was a Muslim Chinese ethnic group. His name was originally Ma He. In China, the family name is said first followed by the given name. "Ma" is short for "Muhammad" in China. He befriended a prince that lived in the imperial household after being captured my the Ming Dynasty army. The prince became emperor and Zheng rose to the highest government position and was given the honorific title of Zheng He.
Treasure Ships
This is a Chinese treasure ship. This is one that Zheng He commanded for expeditions to buy spices from Calicut, or rubies and beautiful carpets from Sumatra. He commanded 7 voyages all to different parts of Asia and Africa.
Voyages of Zheng He
This is a map of all of the voyages that he commanded. This map shows all the countries that he traded with and the years of his voyages.
Zheng He's tomb
One theory is that Zheng He died in 1433. it may have happened shortly after or during the seventh voyage. The tomb is in Nanjing, China.
Claim to Fame
Zheng He commanded many treasure fleets- Chinese ships that traded across Asia and Africa. His objective was to establish trade relationships with various parts of southeast Asia, Arabia, Africa, and India. Because of his expeditions, he expanded Chinese trade greatly.