Zheng He and the Seven Great Voyages

Zheng He

Eunuch, military general, navigator, and diplomat of the early Ming Dynasty. Born as Ma He into a Muslim family, he was captured during the conquest of Yunnan by the Ming army around 1381 and became a eunuch. After serving Zhu Di, the Prince of Yan (later the Yongle Emperor), and distinguishing himself in the Jingnan Campaign, he was granted the surname Zheng. From 1405 to 1433, under the orders of the Yongle Emperor and the Xuande Emperor, he commanded a total of seven large-scale ocean voyages, visiting Southeast Asia, India, the Arabian Peninsula, and East Africa. The voyages aimed to expand diplomatic and tributary relations, promote trade, and demonstrate the maritime power of the Ming Dynasty, fostering exchanges with various regions.

Timeline

Category
Element

Year	Zheng He
1371	Birth of Zheng He (Period: 1371 (exact month and day unknown), Location: Kunming City, Yunnan Province, China)
1380	Service Under Zhu Di, Prince of Yan (Age: 9 years old, Period: Late 1380s–Around 1399, Location: Around Beiping (Present-day Beijing), Northern China)
1381	Conquest of Yunnan by the Ming Dynasty (Age: 10 years old, Period: Around 1381–1382, Location: Yunnan Region, Southwestern China) Conquest of Yunnan by Ming Forces and the Capture of Ma He (Age: 10 years old, Period: Around 1381–1382, Location: Yunnan Region, China)
1399	Jingnan Campaign (Age: 28 years old, Period: 1399-1402, Location: Northern China, North China Plain, and Nanjing Region)
1402	Granting of the Surname Zheng (Age: 31 years old, Period: Around 1402, Location: Ming Court Centered Around Nanjing, China)
1405	First Voyage to the Western Ocean (Age: 34 years old, Period: 1405–1407, Location: Coastal China, Southeast Asia, Calicut on the West Coast of India, etc.)
1407	Subjugation of Chen Zuyi (Age: 36 years old, Period: Around 1407, Location: Around Palembang in Southeast Asia (Present-day Southern Sumatra, Indonesia)) Second and Third Voyages to the Western Ocean (Age: 36 years old, Period: 1407–1411, Location: Southeast Asia, Indian Ocean, West Coast of India, Ceylon Island, etc.)
1410	Intervention in Conflicts Between Factions in Northern Sumatra (Age: 39 years old, Period: Early 1400s; Especially During Voyages in 1407 and the 1410s, Location: Northern Sumatra, Surrounding Areas of Former Srivijaya/Palembang, etc.) Military Conflict on Ceylon Island (Age: 39 years old, Period: Around 1410–1411, Location: Ceylon Island (Present-day Sri Lanka))
1413	Fourth Voyage to the Western Ocean (Age: 42 years old, Period: 1413–1415, Location: Indian Ocean, Arabian Peninsula, Ormuz in the Persian Gulf, etc.)
1417	Fifth and Sixth Voyages to the Western Ocean (Age: 46 years old, Period: 1417–1422, Location: Southeast Asia, India, Arabian Peninsula, Coastal East Africa, etc.)
1424	Temporary Suspension of Maritime Expeditions (Zheng He, Age: 53 years old, Period: Around 1424–1430, Location: Ming Dynasty Court, China)
1431	Seventh Voyage to the Western Ocean (Age: 60 years old, Period: 1431–1433, Location: China, Southeast Asia, India, Arabian Peninsula, Coastal East Africa)
1435	Death of Zheng He (Age: 64 years old, Period: 1433, or 1435. It is generally believed that he died in Calicut (present-day Kozhikode) on the west coast of India during or on the return journey of his 7th voyage in 1433.) Death of Zheng He and the End of Maritime Expeditions (Zheng He, Age: 64 years old, Period: 1433 or 1435, Location: Theories Include Calicut on the West Coast of India, or Nanjing, China)
Unknown	Marriage (Zheng He, Details Unknown, Period: Details Unknown, Location: Details Unknown)

Map

Category
Element

Asia World

Group	List
Ming and Qing Emperors	Yongle Emperor Hongxi Emperor Xuande Emperor Emperor Yingzong of Ming Hongzhi Emperor Wanli Emperor Chongzhen Emperor Hongwu Emperor Hong Taiji Shunzhi Emperor Kangxi Emperor Yongzheng Emperor Qianlong Emperor
Late Ming period	Nurhaci Dorgon Li Zicheng Zhang Xianzhong Wu Sangui Zheng Chenggong Zhu Youlang Yuan Chonghuan Qi Jiguang Yue Fei
Maritime trade	Zheng He Wang Jinghong Wang Dayuan Matteo Ricci Johann Adam Schall von Bell Ferdinand Verbiest William Adams Jan Joosten
Joseon Dynasty	Taejong Sejong Sejo Seongjong Jungjong Seonjo Gwanghaegun Injo Sukjong Yeongjo Jeongjo Jo Gwang-jo Yu Seong-ryong Heo Jun

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Zheng He and the Seven Great Voyages

Zheng He

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