Cheng Ho

Cheng Ho or Zheng He , 1371-c.1433, admiral, diplomat, and explorer during China's Ming dynasty. At 10 he was captured by Chinese troops in Yunnan, castrated, and sent into the army. He rose in the ranks, became an officer, and in 1404 was named Grand Eunuch by Emperor Yung-lo . The following year the emperor selected him to lead the first of seven epic expeditions (1405-33) that served to expand Chinese political influence and increase its tribute and trade. Sailing to SE Asia (1405-07), he commanded 62 ships laden with porcelain, lacquer, silk, gems, and other luxury goods. Subsequently commanding treasure fleets ranging from about 50 to more than 100 vessels, some of which were 500 ft (153 m) long, he also later sailed to India, Sri Lanka, Arabia, E Africa, and Egypt. On his fourth voyage (1413-15), Cheng returned with envoys from 30 foreign states who rendered homage to the emperor and sailed home on his sixth voyage (1421-23). Although China returned to an isolationist policy after the emperor's death (1424), Cheng made one last voyage (1431-33). A controversial theory posits that Cheng discovered the New World during his 1420s voyage, some 70 years before Columbus.

Bibliography: See L. Levathes, When China Ruled the Seas (1994); G. Menzies, 1421: The Year China Discovered America (2003).

Zheng He (or Cheng Ho) (died c.1433) Chinese admiral and explorer, a Muslim court EUNUCH from Yunnan province. He commanded seven remarkable voyages (1405–33) undertaken by order of the Ming emperor YONGLE and his successor. His first voyage in 1405–07, consisting of 62 ships, called in at Malacca and reached India. Subsequent voyages went to the Persian Gulf and his last voyage in 1431–33 reached the coast of East Africa. His voyages were made possible by the use of the compass and by Chinese advances in navigation and shipbuilding. The purpose of the voyages is unclear, however, as they were used neither to develop trade nor political influence with the countries visited, although Zheng He did return with tribute in the form of gifts to the emperor, including giraffes, ostriches, and zebras from the city of Mogadishu in East Africa.