Early Life. He was of the Hui ethic group, which is similar to the predominant Han Chinese, except the Hui have been practicing Muslims since early on in Islam’s spread. Here are 10 interesting facts about Zheng He, who along with Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama, is ranked as one of the greatest sailor of the fifteenth … 1. The first three voyages of Zheng He (1404, 1408 and 1409 CE) followed more established trade routes. He went via Southeast Asia, sailing down the coast of Vietnam, stopping at Sumatra and Java and then on through the Malay Archipelago and through the Straits of Malacca, crossing the eastern Indian Ocean to reach India and Sri Lanka. Oops! While all Zheng He major accomplishments precede those of Christopher Columbus and Vasco da Gama, he is clubbed with them as the hallmarks of the age of discovery. These voyages traveled through the South China Sea, Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea, Red Sea, and along the east coast of Africa. He is held by many as the greatest Chinese admiral. He led expeditions to South Asia, Southeast Asia, East Africa, and the Middle East during the early part of the fifteenth century.

Social impacts of Zheng He is that he opened up trading routes to countries and developed relationships between China and other countries. Zheng He (1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese admiral and explorer who led several voyages around the Indian Ocean. His original name was Ma He. Zheng He was the chief aide of the Yongle Emperor of China in early Ming Dynasty. Voyages of Zheng He - Map of Chinese Voyages to East Africa and South Asia in 1405. Six hundred years ago, a Muslim admiral by the name of Zheng He helmed the famous treasure ships that explored Southeast Asia, South Asia, Middle East and East Africa during 15 th Century Ming Dynasty, almost 100 years before Columbus and Vasco Da Gama explored the New World. Zheng He was born Mǎ Sānbǎo in China’s southwestern frontier Yunnan province, in 1371. Dyrrachion, Adrianople, Nicaea, Map of Crusades and Cities on Routes Map of Crusades.

However, the bulk of research efforts has focused on Chinese sources and materials and discuss and review the historic geography, including place names and the routes that Zheng He followed. He was born in 1371, into a Hui family from Kunyang, Yunnan.

On his seventh and final voyage, from 1431 to 1433, Zheng He apparently died at sea and was likely buried off the coast of India, although some of his descendants believe that he made it back to China and died soon after his return. RELOAD PAGE.