Zheng He

Zheng He was born Ma He into a Muslim family in Yunnan, in southwestern China. When Ming armies conquered Yunnan around 1381, he was captured as a boy, made a eunuch, and placed in the household of the prince of Yan. He served the prince as a soldier and became his trusted aide, and when the prince seized the throne as the Yongle Emperor, he gave Ma He the name Zheng. In 1405 the emperor sent Zheng He to command an enormous fleet of large wooden ships, called treasure ships, with tens of thousands of sailors and soldiers. Between 1405 and 1433 he led seven voyages, visiting Southeast Asia, India, Sri Lanka, the Persian Gulf, Arabia and the east coast of Africa as far as Mombasa. The fleets carried silk and porcelain, brought back gifts and envoys, and displayed Ming power; a giraffe from Africa caused a sensation at court. Zheng He died around 1433, probably during or after the last voyage. Later Ming emperors stopped the voyages, and China turned inward for centuries.

Faith: A Muslim. Source: Wikipedia