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*''Chinese'': [[鄭]]和 ''(Zheng He)''
*''Chinese'': [[鄭]]和 ''(Zheng He)''
Zheng He was a [[Islam|Muslim]] [[eunuch]] in the service of the [[Ming Dynasty]], and an admiral who led a famous fleet of [[treasure ships]] on a series of voyages across the Indian Ocean region from [[1405]]-[[1433]].
Zheng He was a [[Islam|Muslim]] [[eunuch]] in the service of the [[Ming Dynasty]], and an admiral who led a famous fleet of so-called treasure ships on a series of voyages across the Indian Ocean region from [[1405]]-[[1433]].
Zheng He was one of a great many prisoners of war, mainly from non-Chinese ethnic origins, who were castrated while young (Zheng He himself is believed to have been castrated at age 10 or 11), making them eligible for palace service as eunuchs. The palace eunuchs played a significant role in the ''coup'' that put the [[Yongle Emperor]] on the throne in [[1402]], and as a result he expanded the power and position of the eunuchs within the palace, important steps towards the much more considerable presence and influence eunuchs would wield in the later [[Qing Dynasty]]; it was in conjunction with this same set of developments that Zheng He was appointed admiral of Yongle's treasure fleet.
==Treasure Ships==
Zheng He headed a fleet of over three hundred ships, the largest of which were 120 meters long and 48 meters wide, by far the largest wooden sailing ships known to have ever sailed the seas. The largest caravels or galleons of the height of the European "Age of Sail" were a fraction of the size of these largest of the Ming treasure ships. The treasure ships, further, are said to have been equipped with incredible luxuries, including compartments filled with water so the crews could keep, raise, and enjoy fresh fish during their journey.
The fleet included as many as 28,000 men.
==Voyages==
On these missions, he reached lands including parts of east Africa (e.g. modern-day Kenya or Tanzania), India, and the Persian Gulf region. Unlike the European transoceanic voyages of exploration which were to come less than a century later, Zheng He's voyages were not missions of conquest or colonization. Rather, these were missions seeking nominal ritual expressions of submission, and payment of [[tribute]]. According to the concept of the [[Sinocentric world order]] which underlay the [[tribute]] system, it was believed that the Chinese Emperor was the universal monarch, the source from which all civilization and virtue emanated, and that it was his responsibility to extend that civilization and virtue as far as he could, in order to bring civilization and virtue to the barbarians. Moreover, it was believed that the barbarians were meant to recognize the emperor as the source of virtue, to acknowledge their submission, and to pay tribute; this was an important part of the natural order of things, and was essential to the continued harmonious workings of the universe.
On these missions, he reached lands including parts of east Africa (e.g. modern-day Kenya or Tanzania), India, and the Persian Gulf region. Unlike the European transoceanic voyages of exploration which were to come less than a century later, Zheng He's voyages were not missions of conquest or colonization. Rather, these were missions seeking nominal ritual expressions of submission, and payment of [[tribute]]. According to the concept of the [[Sinocentric world order]] which underlay the [[tribute]] system, it was believed that the Chinese Emperor was the universal monarch, the source from which all civilization and virtue emanated, and that it was his responsibility to extend that civilization and virtue as far as he could, in order to bring civilization and virtue to the barbarians. Moreover, it was believed that the barbarians were meant to recognize the emperor as the source of virtue, to acknowledge their submission, and to pay tribute; this was an important part of the natural order of things, and was essential to the continued harmonious workings of the universe.