His father was a hajji, a Muslim who had made the hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. Zheng He was from a Hui (Chinese Muslim) family. He commanded seven naval expeditions almost a century before the Portuguese reached India by sailing around the southern tip of Africa. 1371, Kunyang, near Kunming, Yunnan province, China-died 1433, Calicut, India), admiral and diplomat who helped extend the maritime and commercial influence of China throughout the regions bordering the Indian Ocean. Zheng He, Wade-Giles romanization Cheng Ho, original name Ma Sanbao, later Ma He, (born c.
By 1390, under the command of the prince of Yan, he had distinguished himself as a junior officer-skilled in war and diplomacy and having made influential friends at court. In 1381 Yunnan was reconquered by Ming dynasty forces, and he was captured, castrated, and sent into the army.
