A Ming state fleet combining large treasure ships with transports, supply vessels, patrol craft, and other ships. The fleet’s exact composition and the dimensions of its largest vessels remain debated.
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.
Zheng He’s Voyages of Peaceful Co-existence, China Heritage Quarterly, Australian National University. Voyage chronology and representative port sequence, including Southeast Asia, Sri Lanka, and Calicut; interpretive claims are used cautiously.