Atlas: Expeditions Through Time

Place

Nanjing

The Ming imperial capital from which the Yongle emperor commissioned the first treasure voyage; the fleet reached the sea by way of the Yangtze.

Coordinates32.06, 118.78
Historical namesYingtian

Related expeditions

July 1405–October 1407

Zheng He’s First Treasure Voyage

Commissioned by the Yongle emperor, a large Ming fleet under Zheng He sailed through established South and Southeast Asian maritime networks to Calicut, exchanging envoys and gifts, conducting trade, and asserting imperial authority before returning to China.

Sources and further reading

  1. Zheng He: China and the Oceans in the Early Ming Dynasty, 1405–1433, University of Washington Press. Edward L. Dreyer’s study of the voyage chronology, leadership, fleet, ports, diplomacy, and military actions; linked through the Smithsonian Libraries catalog.
  2. The Ming Voyages, Asia for Educators, Columbia University. Historical context, purposes, fleet organization, and the maritime route through Champa, Java, Malacca, and Calicut.
  3. Wikidata Geographic Coordinates, Wikimedia Foundation and Wikidata contributors. CC0 geographic coordinates used to verify unambiguous named places during the July 2026 coordinate audit. This source supports contemporary point placement only, not historical route or chronology claims.
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