Who they were
Born Ma He to a Muslim family in Yunnan, he was captured as a boy when Ming forces took Yunnan, castrated, and placed in the household of the Prince of Yan — the future Yongle Emperor. He served the prince with distinction in the civil war that brought Yongle to the throne.
What they did
As commander of the seven treasure voyages, he led the greatest wooden fleets of the age to Southeast Asia, India, the Persian Gulf, Arabia, and East Africa. He died around 1433, during or shortly after the seventh voyage.
Legacy
His expeditions were the high-water mark of premodern Chinese seafaring, and he is commemorated across maritime Asia.