Between 1405 and 1433, Zhu Di, Emperor Chengzu (r. 1402–1424, 1360–1424) of the Ming dynasty (1368–1644) appointed Zheng He (1371–1433) commander of a colossal fleet to lead seven ocean expeditions departing from Suzhou to reach as far as the western Pacific and the Indian oceans. During these voyages, Zheng He visited more than thirty Asian and African countries and regions, and significantly strengthened China’s diplomatic relations. These expeditions are considered a magnificent achievement in maritime history.

Both a trusted imperial eunuch and a knowledgeable Muslim, Zheng He was considered by the emperor as an ideal envoy to establish rapport between China and the Islamic world.

At that time, the fleet led by Zheng He was superior to any other fleet in the world with respect to scale, number of ships, and navigation technology. A single voyage called for over 200 vessels, with the gigantic baochuan (treasure ship) being the largest. The baochuan, 138 meters long and 56 meters wide, was larger than any other wooden sailing vessel in the world and had a capacity of 800 passengers. The other vessels, varying in sizes according to purpose, included convoy and supply ships. The crew on board, ranging from 27,000 to 28,000, were meticulously organized to perform their respective duties. State-of-the-art technology such as the compass and celestial positioning were employed during the expeditions which were aided by communications via flags, lanterns, and sounding.

Zheng He’s voyages, which were 87 years prior to Columbus’ (ca. 1451–1506) discovery of the New World, 93 years ahead of Vasco da Gama’s (1469–1524) first voyage, and 116 years before Magellan’s (1480–1521) arrival in the Philippines, made him an indisputable seafaring pioneer.

Unlike Western navigators in search of commercial and colonial opportunities, Zheng He sailed across the ocean with the emperor’s desire to demonstrate China’s wealth and power and to establish friendly relations with Western countries. He succeeded in making tributary states out of the countries along his journey by practicing the Confucian principle of “giving more and receiving less.”

Through tributary trade, China was recognized as the suzerain over many foreign countries which actively came to China to pay tribute for protection and to receive generous rewards from the Ming emperor. According to records, Asian and African countries which Zheng He visited paid China a total of 318 tributary visits during the 22 years of Zhu Di’s Yongle reign; this is an average of 15 visits per year. At one time, there were concurrent visits by envoys from 18 tributary states. There were visits of 7 monarchs from Brunei, Malacca, Sulu, and Kumalarang at different times. Three visiting rulers who had requested to be buried in China before they died of illness during their visits were given grand funeral rites following protocol commensurate with that for Chinese princes.

In the early fifteenth century, China was a highly civilized country in terms of economic and cultural development. Everywhere on his journey, Zheng He endeavored to spread Chinese civilization by introducing the calendar, books, attire, a measuring system and instruments, architectural technology, medicine, and more. While Chinese products such as handicrafts, tea, and porcelain were exported to the West, animals, medicines, spices, gemstones, and other goods from Asian and African tributary states were imported to China. Legends of Zheng He’s voyages circulate to this day in many areas in Southeast Asia, and his statues can be found in houses of worship.

Zheng He’s expeditions not only developed sea routes for China to cross the Indian Ocean to reach the Persian Gulf, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and southeast Africa, he also paved the way for later Western explorers to come to the East. When the Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama sailed around the Cape of Good Hope from the west coast of Africa and landed on the east coast of Africa, he was told by local people that the Chinese had visited this place several times decades earlier. His fleet later reached India with the help of an Arab navigator.

Throughout the twenty-eight years and seven journeys, Zheng He had numerous dangerous encounters and managed to overcome whatever adversities came his way. On the seventh voyage, however, he fell ill and died on the west coast of India. Although a burial in Nanjing was granted by the emperor, some scholars believe that a sea burial had taken place shortly after Zheng He’s death, and the tomb in Nanjing is simply a cenotaph.