Zheng He was a Hui Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral who commanded voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East and East Africa between 1405-1433 under the Ming Dynasty. He commanded fleets with hundreds of ships and over 27,000 crew members. As admiral, he led 7 voyages to establish Chinese tributary systems along the maritime route and spread Chinese influence. His fleet included 62 giant treasure ships that were some of the largest wooden ships in maritime history.

1. Explorer: Cheng Ho
郑和 (Zheng He)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He

2. About Cheng Ho
• Zheng He was born in 1371 in modern-day
Yunnan Province. Like most Hui people, Zheng
He was a Muslim. Originally named Ma Sanbao.
• When he was only eleven years old, he was
captured and sent to the Imperial court, where
he eventually became a trusted adviser of the
Yongle Emperor. In return for meritorious
service, he received the name ‘Zheng He’ from
the Yongle Emperor.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He

3. His Expeditions (Voyages)
• Between 1405 and 1433, the Ming
government sponsored a series of seven
naval voyages.
• Zheng He was placed as the admiral in
control of the huge fleet and armed forces
that undertook these expeditions.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He

4. Treasure ship
• Treasure ship (Chinese: 宝船 ) is the
name of a type of ship that the Ming
admiral Zheng He sailed in. His fleet
included 62 treasure ships, sometimes
called junks, with some said to have
reached 600 feet (180 m) long. The fleet
was manned by over 27,000 crew
members, including navigators, explorers,
sailors, doctors, workers, and soldiers.
A junk is a Chinese sailing vessel

5. Quiz
• How many ships were there in his
fleet?
• He had 62 ships in his fleet
• How many voyages did Zheng He
make?
• Zheng He made seven voyages in all.
A fleet is a group of ships organized to do something
together, for example to fight battles or to catch fish.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He

6. A model of a Zheng He treasure ship
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zheng_He

7. Videos about Cheng Ho
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzFq0Ivwz9
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K54hxWTlE