Zheng He
Ma He entered the world in 1371 within a Muslim Hui family located in Kunyang, Kunming, Yunnan. His father held the title hajji and had made the pilgrimage to Mecca before dying in 1381 during fighting between Ming armies and Mongol forces. The autumn of 1382 saw a Ming army invade and conquer Yunnan under the rule of Basalawarmi, Prince of Liang. General Fu Youde spotted Ma He on a road and asked him about the location of the Mongol pretender. Ma He responded defiantly by stating that the Mongol pretender had jumped into a lake. The general took him prisoner and he was castrated between the ages of 10 and 14. This young man then entered the service of Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan. Wenming, his oldest brother, buried their father outside Kunming. An epitaph engraved in honour of his father was composed by Minister of Rites Li Zhigang on the 1st of June 1405.
Zhu Di was 11 years older than Ma He when they first met. Ma spent his early life as a soldier on the northern frontier near Beiping where hostile Mongol tribes threatened the region. On the 2nd of March 1390, Ma accompanied the prince when he commanded his first expedition which ended with the surrender of Mongol commander Naghachu. In August 1399, Zhu Di openly rebelled against his nephew who held the imperial throne. Ma He successfully defended Beiping's city reservoir named Zhenglunba against the imperial armies during this conflict. Zhu Di's armies defeated the imperial forces and marched into Nanjing on the 13th of July 1402. Zhu Di accepted elevation to emperor four days later. During Chinese New Year on the 11th of February 1404, the Yongle Emperor conferred the surname Zheng upon Ma He because he had distinguished himself defending the city reservoir against imperial forces in 1399. Another reason for the name change was that the eunuch commander also distinguished himself during the campaign to capture the capital.
Zheng He departed from Suzhou on the 11th of July 1405 with a fleet of 317 ships holding almost 28,000 crewmen. The Ming government sponsored seven naval expeditions between 1405 and 1433 under the commission of the Yongle Emperor and the succeeding Xuande Emperor. Wang Jinghong was appointed as second in command of these massive fleets. Preparations included the use of so many linguists that a foreign language institute was established at Nanjing. The fleet visited Brunei, Java, Siam, Southeast Asia, India, the Horn of Africa, and Arabia. China received novelties such as ostriches, zebras, camels, and ivory from the Swahili Coast. A giraffe brought back from Malindi was considered to be a qilin and taken as proof of the Mandate of Heaven. From his fourth voyage, envoys from 30 states traveled to China and paid their respects at the Ming court. Zheng He wrote of traversing more than 100,000 li of immense water spaces while setting eyes on barbarian regions far away hidden in blue transparency of light vapors.
A novel published in 1597 described treasure ships as nine-masted vessels measuring 44.4 by 18 zhang. Archaeological excavations at the Treasure Shipyard in northwestern Nanjing occurred between 2003 and 2004. Three long basins survive each with wooden structures inside interpreted to be frames onto which ships were built. The largest basin extends for a length of 160 meters but is only 90 meters wide at most. These dimensions suggest that even half the claimed size would not fit within the physical constraints of the shipyard basins. Zhou Shide claimed recovered rudderposts proved enormous dimensions based on calculations using modern steel propeller-driven ships. Church noted in 2010 that Zhou used incorrect assumptions about traditional wooden Chinese ships. Comparative study by Hu Xiaowei concluded that one zhang equaled 1.5 to 1.6 meters rather than the larger measurements previously assumed. Many scholars consider it unlikely any of Zheng He's ships reached lengths exceeding 120 meters.
One theory states Admiral Zheng He died in 1433 during or shortly after his seventh voyage. Another possibility is that Zheng He continued serving as defender of Nanjing until dying in 1435. A tomb was built for Zheng He at the southern slope of Cattle Head Hill in Nanjing. The original grave was horseshoe-shaped and serves as a cenotaph containing clothes and headgear rather than remains. His body was buried at sea off the Malabar Coast near Calicut in western India. Sword and other personal possessions were interred in a Muslim tomb inscribed in Arabic. In 1985, the tomb was rebuilt following a Muslim style. Seven large sunken ships were found in the sea near Dongsha Island confirmed to belong to Zheng He's fleet. Types included Shachuan, Fuchuan, and Zhanzuochuan vessels.
Zheng's voyages became well known since publication of Liang Qichao's Biography of Our Homeland's Great Navigator in
1904. Among Chinese diaspora in Southeast Asia, Zheng He became a figure of folk veneration. Temples called Cheng Hoon Teng exist in places like Malacca where the oldest and most important Chinese temple dates to the 17th century. Sultan Mansur Shah dispatched Tun Perpatih Putih as envoy carrying a letter requesting marriage with an imperial daughter named Hang Li Po. She came with 500 high-ranking young men who eventually settled in Bukit Cina creating descendants now known as the Peranakan. In 1961, Indonesian Islamic leader Hamka credited Zheng He for playing an important role in development of Islam in Indonesia. Maritime Day on the 11th of July is devoted to memory of Zheng He's first voyage. The People's Liberation Army Navy ship Zheng He serves as goodwill ambassador for China completing
circumnavigation of globe in 2012.
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Common questions
When and where was Zheng He born?
Zheng He entered the world in 1371 within a Muslim Hui family located in Kunyang, Kunming, Yunnan. His father held the title hajji and had made the pilgrimage to Mecca before dying in 1381 during fighting between Ming armies and Mongol forces.
Why did Zhu Di change Ma He's surname to Zheng?
During Chinese New Year on the 11th of February 1404, the Yongle Emperor conferred the surname Zheng upon Ma He because he had distinguished himself defending the city reservoir against imperial forces in 1399. Another reason for the name change was that the eunuch commander also distinguished himself during the campaign to capture the capital.
How many ships and crewmen were in Zheng He's first fleet?
Zheng He departed from Suzhou on the 11th of July 1405 with a fleet of 317 ships holding almost 28,000 crewmen. The Ming government sponsored seven naval expeditions between 1405 and 1433 under the commission of the Yongle Emperor and the succeeding Xuande Emperor.
What happened to Zheng He after his seventh voyage ended?
One theory states Admiral Zheng He died in 1433 during or shortly after his seventh voyage while another possibility is that Zheng He continued serving as defender of Nanjing until dying in 1435. His body was buried at sea off the Malabar Coast near Calicut in western India.
Where is Zheng He's tomb located today?
A tomb was built for Zheng He at the southern slope of Cattle Head Hill in Nanjing where the original grave serves as a cenotaph containing clothes and headgear rather than remains. In 1985, the tomb was rebuilt following a Muslim style with sword and other personal possessions interred in a Muslim tomb inscribed in Arabic.