EXPLORER

Zheng He

1387 - 1433

Zheng He

Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese eunuch, admiral and diplomat from the early Ming dynasty, who is often regarded as the greatest admiral in Chinese history. Born into a Muslim family as Ma He, he later adopted the surname Zheng conferred onto him by the Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–1424). Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng commanded seven treasure voyages across Asia under the commission of the Yongle Emperor and the succeeding Xuande Emperor (r. 1425–1435). According to legend, Zheng's largest ships were almost twice as long as any wooden ship ever recorded, and carried hundreds of sailors on four decks. Read more on Wikipedia

His biography is available in different languages on Wikipedia. Zheng He is the 12th most popular explorer (down from 11th in 2019), the 9th most popular biography from China (down from 8th in 2019) and the most popular Chinese Explorer.

Zheng He is most famous for his voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Africa in the 15th century.

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Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Zheng He ranks 12 out of 498. Before him are Amerigo Vespucci, Hernán Cortés, Ibn Battuta, Roald Amundsen, Bartolomeu Dias, and Prince Henry the Navigator. After him are James Cook, Jacques Cartier, Francisco Pizarro, Francis Drake, Robert Falcon Scott, and Fridtjof Nansen.

Most Popular Explorers in Wikipedia

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Amerigo Vespucci
1454 - 1512
HPI: 86.55
Rank: 6
Hernán Cortés
1485 - 1547
HPI: 85.59
Rank: 7
Ibn Battuta
1304 - 1368
HPI: 85.06
Rank: 8
Roald Amundsen
1872 - 1928
HPI: 84.99
Rank: 9
Bartolomeu Dias
1450 - 1500
HPI: 84.66
Rank: 10
Prince Henry the Navigator
1394 - 1460
HPI: 84.33
Rank: 11
Zheng He
1387 - 1433
HPI: 84.21
Rank: 12
James Cook
1728 - 1779
HPI: 84.14
Rank: 13
Jacques Cartier
1491 - 1557
HPI: 82.21
Rank: 14
Francisco Pizarro
1478 - 1541
HPI: 82.05
Rank: 15
Francis Drake
1540 - 1596
HPI: 81.71
Rank: 16
Robert Falcon Scott
1868 - 1912
HPI: 80.52
Rank: 17
Fridtjof Nansen
1861 - 1930
HPI: 80.38
Rank: 18

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1387, Zheng He ranks 1. After him is Blanche I of Navarre. Among people deceased in 1433, Zheng He ranks 1. After him are John I of Portugal, Emperor Go-Komatsu, Lidwina, Lê Lợi, Baysunghur, James II, Count of Urgell, Nicholas II Garai, and Joan of France, Duchess of Brittany.

Others Born in 1387

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Zheng He
EXPLORER
1387 - 1433
HPI: 84.21
Rank: 1
Blanche I of Navarre
POLITICIAN
1387 - 1441
HPI: 68.64
Rank: 2

Others Deceased in 1433

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Zheng He
EXPLORER
1387 - 1433
HPI: 84.21
Rank: 1
John I of Portugal
POLITICIAN
1358 - 1433
HPI: 75.25
Rank: 2
Emperor Go-Komatsu
POLITICIAN
1377 - 1433
HPI: 66.89
Rank: 3
Lidwina
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1380 - 1433
HPI: 66.60
Rank: 4
Lê Lợi
POLITICIAN
1384 - 1433
HPI: 63.76
Rank: 5
Baysunghur
ARCHITECT
1397 - 1433
HPI: 61.81
Rank: 6
James II, Count of Urgell
NOBLEMAN
1380 - 1433
HPI: 61.49
Rank: 7
Nicholas II Garai
POLITICIAN
1367 - 1433
HPI: 60.79
Rank: 8
Joan of France, Duchess of Brittany
POLITICIAN
1391 - 1433
HPI: 60.38
Rank: 9