Zheng He's Exploration experience
Zheng He first commanded a total of 7 voyages from 1405 to 1432. Zheng He's first fleet included 27,870 men on 317 ships, including sailors, clerks, soldiers and others. The first fleet sailed along the coastline of China to modern- day Vietnam and Indonesia. It returned to China in 1407. The emperor was so pleased that he would order six other voyages, all to different places over the next thirty years. During his career as a naval commander, Zheng He did trading, fought pirates, installed puppet kings, and brought back tribute for the Yongle Emperor in the form of jewels, medicines and exotic animals. He and his crew traded with Indonesia, Malaysia, Siam, India, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and Kenya. Even though Zheng He was raised in a Muslim family, and he venerated Tianfei. Tianfei was a mortal woman living in the 900s, who achieved enlightenment as a teenager. She was able to foresight and save her brother from a approaching storm at sea, saving his life. Zheng He and his crew believed that Tianfei saved them from a massive storm during their first voyage. Zheng He then remodeled a temple in 1407-08 at the city of Tianfei’s birth and dedicated it to her in Meizhou. In 1424, the the Yongle emperor died. Zheng He had six voyages in his name and brought back a lot of emissaries from different places. The Yongle emperor’s elder son, Zhu Gaozhi became the Hongxi Emperor, and ruled for nine months. When the Hongxi emperor died in 1426, his 26 year old son became the Xuande Emperor. The Xuande Emperor decided to send Zheng He and the treasure feet out again. In 1432, the 61 year old Zheng He set out with his largest fleet ever for one final trip around the indian ocean. They sailed all the way to Malindi, on Kenya’s east coast, stopping at trading ports along the way. On the return voyage, as the fleet sailed east from Calicut, Zheng He died, and was buried at sea.