Zheng He, also known as Sanbao, lived during the Ming Dynasty. From a minority group in central Asia, he was taken captive and castrated when the Ming army conquered his native province of Yunnan. Zheng was appointed an admiral and an envoy, and visited more than 30 countries including Yemen, Iran, and even Mecca over a period of 28 years.

On every voyage, Zheng He presented gifts and invited the host sovereign to send emissaries to China. He traded for precious stones, ivory and dyestuffs, bringing back rare animals like the giraffe, lion, ostrich and leopard for the Chinese emperor. On his first voyage, his fleet consisted of a huge ship which was probably the largest sea-going vessel of the day. It had nine masts and flew 12 sails, and was manned by more than 200 sailors.

Zheng was an excellent navigator, keeping a logbook and using one of the first compasses in the world. He made nautical charts that were later called Zheng He's Nautical Charts, the first of their kind in the world. Today there are landmarks named after Zheng, such as Sanbao Harbour and Sanbao Pagoda in Thailand, and Sanbao Temple in Java. Malacca in Malaysia is known also as the City of Sanbao.