Admiral Zheng He, also popularly known as Cheng Ho, was born in Kunyang, Yunnan before he was bought to serve in the imperial court of the Ming Dynasty. Under Emperor Zhu Di (the Yongle Emperor), Zheng He rose in power to become the principal envoy and commander of the great treasure fleet. In July 1405, Zheng He left Liujia Harbour with a vast fleet of more than 300 ships manned by more than 27,000 men and began on the first of his seven voyages. From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He covered more than 30 nations, extending China's influence to Southeast Asia, India, the Middle East and Africa.

"The Emperor, approving of their loyalty and sincerity has ordered us Zheng He and others at the head of several tens of thousands of officers and flag-troops to ascend more than one hundred large ships to go and confer presents on them and order to make manifest the transforming power of the (imperial) virtue and to treat distant people with kindness. From the third year of Yongle (1405) till now we have seven times received the commission of ambassadors to countries of the western ocean."