Admiral Cheng Ho : From Eunuch to Folk God
In 1371 the famous Ming Admiral Cheng Ho was born in Yunnan into a Muslim family. At the age of 10 he was captured by Ming troops and brought to Beijing where, after his castration, he entered the service of a prince who later became the jongle emperor, and rose through the ranks to 'Chief Eunuch.'
His illustrious naval and envoy career lasted rom 1405 until 1433, the year he died during he return of the 7th voyage. Afterwards he became deified as the folk god Sam Po who was not only worshipped in Java, but also in other parts of South East Asia including Aceh, Melacca, Thailand, Vietnam.
A Ming physiognomist described him as ‘Nine foot tall with a waistline of ten feet and teeth like a white shell, walking like a tiger and speaking in a sonorous voice.' This description is probably a little exaggerated. Since when does castration lead to a sonorous voice? And a waistline of ten feet probably impairs the walking. This benevolent description of Cheng Ho probably aims at depicting him as a very extraordinary person.
Based on an imperial edict his first of seven or perhaps eight voyages in Asian waters took him from 1405 to 1407 first to Java and Sumatra and from there to Sri Lanka and India. At that time a Chinese pirate controlled Palembang (Sumatra) and the remnants of the Srivijaya empire. As this was endangering the vital control of the Melacca Strait, Cheng Ho captured this pirate and had him brought to Beijing where he was beheaded. An officer of Cheng Ho's fleet succeeded him. In general, however, the fleet did not interfere in the affairs of foreign countries.
The arrival of Cheng Ho's fleet anywhere must have been an awesome sight: More than 300 ships, the prows painted with fierce dragon eyes, with around 28,000 sailors and soldiers on board who needed water and food wherever they arrived. The provisioning must have been a nightmare for one or the other foreign ruler. Yet this formidable fleet was not the biggest one ever assembled by China. Once Kublai Khan assembled a fleet of 4500 junks and 1 50,000 men against Japan.
(Source : article and photo by Garuda-Indonesia.Com magazine)
SMS/ WA/ Telp. 0851.0967.7100 ; +6285876236128 Melayani Penjualan Tiket Pesawat Murah 24 Jam termasuk Paket Wisata Murah, Voucher Hotel | www.TiketPesawat24Jam.com
His illustrious naval and envoy career lasted rom 1405 until 1433, the year he died during he return of the 7th voyage. Afterwards he became deified as the folk god Sam Po who was not only worshipped in Java, but also in other parts of South East Asia including Aceh, Melacca, Thailand, Vietnam.
A Ming physiognomist described him as ‘Nine foot tall with a waistline of ten feet and teeth like a white shell, walking like a tiger and speaking in a sonorous voice.' This description is probably a little exaggerated. Since when does castration lead to a sonorous voice? And a waistline of ten feet probably impairs the walking. This benevolent description of Cheng Ho probably aims at depicting him as a very extraordinary person.
Based on an imperial edict his first of seven or perhaps eight voyages in Asian waters took him from 1405 to 1407 first to Java and Sumatra and from there to Sri Lanka and India. At that time a Chinese pirate controlled Palembang (Sumatra) and the remnants of the Srivijaya empire. As this was endangering the vital control of the Melacca Strait, Cheng Ho captured this pirate and had him brought to Beijing where he was beheaded. An officer of Cheng Ho's fleet succeeded him. In general, however, the fleet did not interfere in the affairs of foreign countries.
The arrival of Cheng Ho's fleet anywhere must have been an awesome sight: More than 300 ships, the prows painted with fierce dragon eyes, with around 28,000 sailors and soldiers on board who needed water and food wherever they arrived. The provisioning must have been a nightmare for one or the other foreign ruler. Yet this formidable fleet was not the biggest one ever assembled by China. Once Kublai Khan assembled a fleet of 4500 junks and 1 50,000 men against Japan.
(Source : article and photo by Garuda-Indonesia.Com magazine)
SMS/ WA/ Telp. 0851.0967.7100 ; +6285876236128 Melayani Penjualan Tiket Pesawat Murah 24 Jam termasuk Paket Wisata Murah, Voucher Hotel | www.TiketPesawat24Jam.com
