biography
| name: |
Zheng He
|
| |
also spelled Cheng Ho
|
pronunciation:
[zheng hay]
| sex:
| male
|
| lived:
| (1371–1433)
|
| biography:
| Chinese admiral. By imperial commmand he led seven major voyages (1405–33) to E Africa, Arabia, the Indian Ocean and SE Asia - the earliest extensive naval expeditions in world history. The first (1405–7) to Java, Sumatra, Ceylon, and Calicut, took 63 ‘starry rafts’ (up to 1500 tons, 162 x 66 m, 4 decks) and 255 smaller ships and 28 000 men. The second (1407–11, 249 ships) visited the Indies, Calicut, and Thailand. The third (1409, 48 ships) toured the Indies, SE Asia, and Ceylon. The fourth (1413–16, 63 ships) went with Arabic interpreters to the Maldives and Hormuz. The fifth (1416–18) called at Bengal, Hormuz, Aden, and Kenya (some probably went on to Mecca, as Zheng was Muslim). The sixth (1421–2, 41 ships) reached Mogadishu and Zanzibar. The seventh (1431–3, 100 ships) reached Bengal, Calicut, and Arabia, two members visiting Medina and Mecca. |
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