In the XVe century, China had the largest fleet the world has ever known. At its head, a Muslim eunuch sailed the seas for the emperor.
By Luc de Barchent
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Lhe greatest sailor that China has known is a mountaineer. Zheng He was born in the highlands of Yunnan, at the southwestern edge of the Empire. This remote region was under the control of a rebellious Mongolian prince whom the founder of the Ming dynasty, Emperor Hongwu, decided in 1381 to bring to heel. Victorious, the imperial army is merciless; it passes some 60,000 people at the edge of the sword, captures countless prisoners. Among the latter, Zheng He, aged about ten, the youngest of a Muslim family of Persian origin, arrived there a century earlier with the Mongol conquerors. His father, whose surname indicates that he made the pilgrimage to Mecca, was killed before his eyes.
As was the Chinese custom of the time, the male children of the vanquished his …
akg-images / Science Photo Library / SMETEK – akg-images / Pictures From History (x2)
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