Early life of Zheng He (1371-1433)
Zheng He was born in 1371 in a city which is now called Jinning, his original name was Ma He. He had 4 sisters and 1 brother, and his great great great grandfather has been a persian governor of the province under the mongolian emperor Kublai Khan, founder of the Yuan Dynasty, which ruled China from 1279 to 1368
In 1381, Ming army killed Ma He’s father and captured 11 year old Ma He, he was then appointed prisoner and was castrated in 1385. He was made into a eunuch and was sent to what is now Beijing to serve a household of the Prince of Yan. Ma He is 6’ 6” tall and has a very loud voice. He is exceptionally good at fighting and military tactics. And studied the words of Confucius and Mencius. He then soon became one of the prince’s closest confidants. In 1390, Ma He fought side by side with Prince of Yan when attacking the Mongols. Ma He was was then appointed defender of Nan Jing. At the age of 35, Zheng He had achieved the highest rank being a naval commander for a eunuch in Chinese history.
In 1381, Ming army killed Ma He’s father and captured 11 year old Ma He, he was then appointed prisoner and was castrated in 1385. He was made into a eunuch and was sent to what is now Beijing to serve a household of the Prince of Yan. Ma He is 6’ 6” tall and has a very loud voice. He is exceptionally good at fighting and military tactics. And studied the words of Confucius and Mencius. He then soon became one of the prince’s closest confidants. In 1390, Ma He fought side by side with Prince of Yan when attacking the Mongols. Ma He was was then appointed defender of Nan Jing. At the age of 35, Zheng He had achieved the highest rank being a naval commander for a eunuch in Chinese history.