The eunuch who ruled the seas.docVIP

The eunuch who ruled the seas Chinese high school history books “Ancient Chinese History”《中国古代史》Zh4nggu5 G^d3i Sh@ give Zheng He 郑和 a pretty hard time. One of China’s greatest maritime emissaries is dismissed merely as an expensive tool used by the Ming Dynasty 1368-1644 to satisfy their curiosity for exotic trinkets and foreign tributes. While it’s true Zheng’s voyages were economically impractical, he stands the test of time as an exceptional diplomat, military commander and buccaneering adventurer. 　　Born Ma Sanbao 马三宝 in 1371, the boy who would become Zheng He was raised a Hui Muslim in Yunnan Province, where his father’s stories of journeying to Mecca imbued him with a ravening curiosity for adventure in foreign lands. At the age of 10, Ma got his wish when Ming forces invaded Yunnan, killing his father and whisking the boy off to become a eunuch slave to the Ming state. After castration in Nanjing, Ma was dispatched to serve in Beijing under the 21-year-old Prince Zhu Di―an assignment that would change his fortune forever. Ma quickly distinguished himself with his intelligence, loyalty and courage, later cementing the prince’s confidence when the two men fought side-by-side in a series of campaigns against the Mongols. 　　In 1402 Zhu Di’s forces captured the Ming capital of Nanjing and he crowned himself the Yongle Emperor. As thanks for his leading role in the victory, Zhu installed Ma in a mansion in Nanjing, and awarded him the honorific name“Zheng He.” 　　By this time, Zheng was in prime position to capitalize on the connections and experience he had amassed as his master’s right hand. Between 1405 and 1433, he was charged with leading seven major naval expeditions designed to expand China’s influence overseas, bring troublesome trade partners to heel and extend the empire’s tributary system. 　　While historical sources attesting to the size and extent of these voyages remain controversial, historian Professor Zheng Ming believes that Zheng’s first fl