Zheng He

Zheng He was originally named Ma He and was born into a Muslim family just beyond the boarders of China in 1371. His ancestors were the Arabians who immigrated into China during the Tang and Song dynasties (618-1279). While he was a young boy the Ming Dynasty conquered his province in 1378, and he was taken to the imperial Chinese capital to serve as a court eunuch. Zheng helped Zhu Yuanzhang defeat the Yuan dynasty, and was rewarded with an official post in the government.
In 1402, after Emperor Cheng Zu of the Ming Dynasty ascended the throne, he dispatched Zheng He and Wang Jinghong to lead a large fleet to the Western Sea, which is now present day Southeast Asia. The fleet contained a large number of soldiers and and even larger quantity of goods. The fleet reached the countries of Southeast Asian, east Africa and Arabia, initiating a feat in the history of navigation and regarded as an unprecedented great historical period in Chinese history of trade and cultural exchanges.