Zheng He: Muslim Chinese Admiral and Navigator

[GrandmasterTigerfist]

Zeng he later in his life converted to Buddhism He converted to Buddhism and became a disciplein Buddhism by Monk Yao Guangxia, by the name of Sanbao.

Correction not muslim but a Buddhist admiral.

[Vilicus3]

Interesting would be would much influence the travels of Zheng He had in the countries he visited...

Did the muslim countires changed there view?

[Vilicus3]

If you want Columbus was the "last" discoverer of the New world...before him were the vikings and the red indians and 13,000 years ago the europeans got on the edge of the iceage polar shield to New Foundland...

Gutenberg invented the book printing 200 years after the Koreans did it...

[euroislamable]

they should try to make a replica of this ship and see how really good of it

[camillius]

Why the Muslim community have to make emphasize on Zheng He? Is it because he was a Muslim? And what if he is not a Muslim? Will you guys still glorify him as much as you are doing now? Glorify him not because of his religious background, but on what he did and achieve for the world and China!

[barixt]

@camillius, It's because d western scholars & civilization denied muslims contributions to the human's civilizations. They even change and hide the history or names of muslims scholars who they couldn't escape from admitting their contributions. It's not an easy job the re-search those lost informations.

The world must know that Islam is not a terrorist religion. Not what the western or to be more accurate zionist want people to see in Islam

[donguinto]

I recommend people read Gavin Menzie's best selling books. The first is "1421: The Year that the Chinese Discovered America" , the second is "1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance". Western history is too eurocentric. It needs to be rewritten. Glen Beck points to these 2 books on his show. Search for: Glenn Beck Show (January 14, 2011): China's Rise, America's Fall?

[Vilicus3]

@donguinto Yes... the scientists are now global... but the media still offers the image of the western dominations.. the also play on the national moves. Look at soccer... they always try to make it to national or nationalistic event....

[milvipes]

Adm. Zheng He had this much to say about Somalis, "a quarrelsome bunch".

[gladheateher4now]

Truelly a man who had destany,but all that was written was burned. 7 seas and 32 years later,we know nothing of him just his voyages.

[portigoal11]

nice video, great work, but just a correction. his birth name is not Ma Sanbao, it's Ma He. Sanbao was a name he got when serving as an eunuch in the imperial court.

[barixt]

@portigoal11 New info. May I know your reference?

[Jovian84]

Age of exploration is awesome. its like if people today developed a warp engine. these ships changed the world that much. and on these vessels humans from across the old world staked their fortunes, their lives, and their reputations for the sake of themselves, their Gods and their peoples. they must have FELT the pages of history turning.

[blipbaii]

Everyone watch these

documentary type 1

watch?v=8dhG3ckjQ-w&feature=re lated

documentary type 2

watch?v=ptZ1nKNeNUk

[farhandafunk]

He was a sixth-generation descendant of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar, a famous Khwarezmian Yuan governor of Yunnan Province, originally from Bukhara in modern day Uzbekistan. The family name "Ma" came from Shams al-Din's fifth son Masuh (Mansour). Both his father, Mir Tekin, and grandfather, Charameddin, had made the pilgrimage to Mecca, and their travels contributed to the young boy's education.[citation needed]

[Bioloser]

Way to copy and paste from Wikipedia :P

[farhandafunk]

Zheng He was born in 1371 in modern-day Yunnan Province, which was at that time the last stronghold of the Yuan Dynasty in its struggle with the victorious Ming Dynasty. Like most Hui people, Zheng He was a Muslim. The term Hui in Chinese refers to the Islamic religion.

[farhandafunk]

ZHENG HE (Hajji Mahmud Shams) (13711433), was a Hui Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat and fleet admiral, who made the voyages collectively referred to as the travels of "Eunuch Sanbao to the Western Ocean" (Chinese: 三保太監下西洋) or "Zheng He to the Western Ocean", from 1405 to 1433.

[rollingklouds]

"seek knowledge even as far as China" -Prophet Muhammad.

[tung2sai]

Eh, I'm not really certain but a lot of my history instructors mentioned that Menzies book isn't quite credible. You all might want to look at other works about Zheng He for more reliable information.

[AsianAmerican68]

BayKubidikTR, thank you for providing the additional information on Admiral Chêng Ho's background, ancestry, and heritage.

I'm still reviewing the large amount of additional information I've found on the history, peoples, and cultures of Yunnan Province in China during that time, thanks to your post.

[triggersots4686]

yes they did, everyone knows hes a muslim...

[jimmyjamesWang]

......uhm, well, that was during the last 60 years, because the government eliminated all religious activities (until recently). The capital of Ming dynasty at the time were a center of Islamic studies. Islam las been prominent in China for almost as long as it started.

[codeagent47]

what does this have to do any with the CCP??? is the History,, people know who he is,,, a lot of Muslim-Chinese see him as a hero!

[Nasruel]

aLHAMDULILAH..aLLAHUAKHBAR!!!!­!

[BayKubidikTR]

He was a Khwarezmian Turk living in Yunnan province of China. His real name was Hajji Mahmud Shams. His real name was Ma Sanbou. He was a sixth generation descendant of Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-din Omar, a famous governor in Yunnan Province. His family name "Ma" came from Shams al-Din's fifth son Masuh (Mansour). When the Ming dynasty destroyed the Yuan dynasty, they captured the Ma Sanbou as a slave. Emperor Yongle gave changed his name as Zheng He. He discovered America, New Zealand & Iceland.

[AsianAmerican68]

The Chinese Treasure Ship Voyages were undertaken to make the Outside World aware of the Greatness of China. They were designed to elicit admiration.

The overwhelming Size and Grandeur of the Chinese Treasure Ships and Fleet were not to instill fear, but to evoke AWE... and they did.

They were called "Treasure Ships", because they brought the Treasures of China for the rest of the world to see and admire.

It was an amazing time with amazing accomplishments for China.

[AsianAmerican68]

The Celestial Empire (China) viewed itself as the only Truly Civilized Society on Earth... and there was certainly a shade of truth to that idea.

Why should China be burdened with colonies that were't civilized? Why should China run the risk having any aspect of its society at home negatively influenced by ideas from inferior outsider places?

[AsianAmerican68]

Contrasting purposes of Chinese vs Europeans could not have been greater. Establishment of colonies and seeking of fortune in slaves, gold, or trade were not even considered by the Chinese.

China wanted nothing because China needed nothing. The possession of colonies would have been an admission of not being truly self-sufficient or self-reliant.

[proud2bDemocrat]

Thank you for enlightning many of us.China aims, unlike the European colonizers were not for colonial grandeur, except in the case for Vietnam. Vietnam had to fight off the Chinese invaders thousand of years ago for its freedom. Vietnamese history book constantly reminded its citizens of HAI BA TRUNG (2 Trung sisters) heroic acts, TRANG H DAO

[AsianAmerican68]

Maps and navigational charts taken on these voyages were of regions ranging from the South China Sea to all places bordering on the Indian Ocean, including India and east Africa.

Further evidence of prior Chinese knowledge about that part of the world comes from the fact that the interpreters who accompanied these voyages already knew the languages of the lands being visited.

[AsianAmerican68]

Those who had seen these ships marveled at their size, for they exceeded anything seen in Europe or in any other part of the world.

There is ample evidence to show that Admiral Chêng Ho knew exactly where he was going and what he would encounter. The Chinese had been trading with the Arab world since the T'ang Dynasty in the early Middle Ages, and Chinese sailing ships had been visitors to these regions long before that.

[AsianAmerican68]

Admiral Chêng Ho's expeditions consisted of fleets with as many as 317 ships carrying more than 37,000 crewmen.

Various classes of ships made up these voyages:

- Treasure Ship,

- Horse Ship,

- Supply Ship,

- Billet Ship,

- Combat Ship.

The largest carried nine masts and had a length of 444 feet and a beam of 180 feet.

[AsianAmerican68]

Rather than continue to remain in ignorance, I think the West should embrace Admiral Cheng Ho's Treasure Ship Voyages, and research further details and physical evidence that survive of it today.

Knowledge and Accomplishments are where you find them, and no one person or Nation can claim to have invented or discovered EVERYTHING.

It's long overdue to give credit where it's due, to Admiral Cheng Ho and China's seven Treasure Ship Voyages in this case.

[hadi0550]

The west habit always to deny anything eastern people achievment. CHENG HO was the greatest ADMIRAL ever. He dared to explore the sea where no one ever dare to do. The CHINES had very rich culture richer than the WESTERN WORLD together.

[Vilicus3]

@hadi0550

Where does "the west" deny eastern acchievements??? Each pupile in school learn the mankind got it's modern numbers from the arabs and gunpowder from the chinese.

And from China the Arabs are "westerns" too.

Zheng He was one of the greatest explorers ever but own chinese ingored that and after him China fall into 600 years of isolation which ended in the last third of the 20th century.

Now modern China discovers its great son.

[TsangBokyan]

@Vilicus3

i was taught that the printing press originated in germany (and if not, a movable type)

however, the chinese preceded that by around 400 years (and with respect to a metal movable type, the koreans still did before the germans)

i was also taught that columbus was the first to discover the "new world"

[sandra212]

@TsangBokyan which school did you go? columbus was the 1st to discover the "new world"?!?! LOL

[TsangBokyan]

@sandra212

Public school in the great state of California. We have one of the worst education systems in the country, lol.

[sandra212]

@TsangBokyan LOL

[Vilicus3]

@hadi0550 The arabs are westerns in the eyes of the chinese. I have all of friends in China or Japan and the don't claim the western habit of the past the claim that the arabs or muslim habit of the now is a threat.

But if the human being don't see that the future can only made in cooperation of ALL SOCIETIES, all human will die out...

[CommentatorUnltd]

No offense, but your claims that Zheng He sailed to every part of the world are "baseless."

[AsianAmerican68]

If you watch and listen to the video, as well as Wikipedia: "Zheng He", you will see the actual list of places he did sail to and visit, and while it is not the entire planet, it is none-the-less a larger list of places and people than any other person or Nation of that time... bar NONE. China was clearly the most technologically advanced Nation on this Planet at that time. Superior in Navigation, Maps, and World Travel by Sea.

[ACTORnSCREENWRITER]

Hmm, yes and no AsianAmerican68

you see, Zheng He, and China aknowledged at the time, that Arab/Central Asian sailors were some of the best, and their ship building was far more superior than the European kinds at the time

And most of Zheng He's crew were Arab/Central Asian

And the ships design was Arabic too

[marvolotom]

Zheng He´s fleet seperated. Hong Bao sailed to the Antarctica, Zhu Man to the whole pacific coast Line of the Americas, and there were two others. Those men discovered generally speaking every continent in the world between 1421-23.

Thats not all. They were the first to measure the latitude and mapping the whole world. There were 2000 giant ships operating in this voyage.

[Devilito999]

Wang JIng HOng stayed back in Indonesia now called Semarang, his Graveyard still exist and become a pilgrimage for the chinese moslem in Indonesia

[marvolotom]

that i didnt know. cool thx. you have to get the book of gavin menzies. Extremely covering.

[Galaxynation]

Ming = the sun and the moon ,

in "Ming Denasty"

[eason2000]

Ming means Brilliant!!!

[LbEeNAsKmE]

Great Chinese Muslims!!..

[Luso515PorTuoGraal]

And Vikings, Portuguese, Bascs, irish were in North America before.

[marvolotom]

actually the africans, because the first humans came from Africa

[southchizz]

Africans were in America before Columbus...

[Luso515PorTuoGraal]

And we have the Carthagians, Vikings, Romans, Greeks and other sea Peoples with many unknown pontual voyages.

With Sistemized routes in late-medieval and modern times, only this XV and XVI Seamans.

[DaLynxfighta]

In Andalousia arabes discovered america before C. Colomb, and Colomb said it is Aventuez for Averroes in spanish who give him idea for the new world

[Luso515PorTuoGraal]

No, that history is about Mozarabes from Lisbon(Christians) and Converted Muslims in Lisbon under Muslim rulers.

I respect the great history of Zheng He, of course.

But the Union of the two Oceans, with Proofs and advanced steps had authors:

Bartolomeu Dias(1488) Cape of Good Hope and Mossel bay.

Vasco da Gama(1498) India - Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

Pedro Álvares Cabral(1500) the first modern voyage to touch the 4 Continents (Brazil-india).

[nadoo101]

Zheng He was one of the WORLD'S Greatest Admirals (Columbus in comparison is a junior school admiral .He found the route around africa to the atlantic ocean from the indian ocean, and it was the europeans who got a map from china (some say through marco polo) and then vasco da gama sailed the route and claims credit.He was a muslim. His gravestone bears and testifies "ALLAH AKBAR" in arabic.

[Luso515PorTuoGraal]

But Zheng He(1421) is 200 yearts After Marco Polo! Lol Grast Contradition. It´s other erlier Chinese voyages Unknown before,in Medieval ages?

I belive more in Arabs, that touch Mozambique sinse 1500 years ago, or Carthaginise thousends years ago.

The Proofs of Chinese in Atlantic Ocean? In Lisbon? Azores? Cape Verde?

Relax Bartolomeu Dias and Gama, anyone take Your GLORYS.

[kiropoldoro]

Zhend He was a great admiral, great explorer. But I am not sure, whether was he the one after whose death Chinese Emperior ordered to burn all the ships?