EXPLORER

Zheng He

1387 - 1433

Zheng He

Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese admiral, explorer, diplomat, and bureaucrat during the early Ming dynasty (1368–1644). He is often regarded as the greatest admiral in Chinese history. Born into a Muslim family as Ma He, he later adopted the surname Zheng conferred onto him by the Yongle Emperor (r. 1402–1424). Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Zheng He has received more than 4,086,647 page views. His biography is available in 135 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 129 in 2019). Zheng He is the 11th most popular explorer, the 8th most popular biography from China (down from 7th in 2019) and the most popular Chinese Explorer.

Zheng He is most famous for his voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Africa in the 15th century.

Memorability Metrics

4.1M
Page Views (PV)
82.94
Historical Popularity Index (HPI)
135
Languages Editions (L)
10.08
Effective Languages (L*)
5.29
Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Among EXPLORERS

Among explorers, Zheng He ranks 11 out of 498. Before him are Amerigo Vespucci, Ibn Battuta, Roald Amundsen, Bartolomeu Dias, Hernán Cortés, and James Cook. After him are Francis Drake, Francisco Pizarro, Prince Henry the Navigator, Abel Tasman, Pedro Álvares Cabral, and Xuanzang.

Most Popular Explorers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings

Amerigo Vespucci
1454 - 1512
HPI: 86.15
Rank: 5
Ibn Battuta
1304 - 1368
HPI: 85.36
Rank: 6
Roald Amundsen
1872 - 1928
HPI: 85.16
Rank: 7
Bartolomeu Dias
1450 - 1500
HPI: 84.92
Rank: 8
Hernán Cortés
1485 - 1547
HPI: 84.15
Rank: 9
James Cook
1728 - 1779
HPI: 83.85
Rank: 10
Zheng He
1387 - 1433
HPI: 82.94
Rank: 11
Francis Drake
1540 - 1596
HPI: 81.84
Rank: 12
Francisco Pizarro
1478 - 1541
HPI: 81.52
Rank: 13
Prince Henry the Navigator
1394 - 1460
HPI: 80.42
Rank: 14
Abel Tasman
1603 - 1659
HPI: 80.14
Rank: 15
Pedro Álvares Cabral
1467 - 1520
HPI: 79.74
Rank: 16
Xuanzang
602 - 664
HPI: 79.40
Rank: 17

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1387, Zheng He ranks 1. After him is Blanche I of Navarre. Among people deceased in 1433, Zheng He ranks 1. After him are John I of Portugal, Emperor Go-Komatsu, Lê Lợi, Lidwina, Baysunghur, Joan of France, Duchess of Brittany, James II, Count of Urgell, and Nicholas II Garai.

Others Born in 1387

Go to all Rankings

Zheng He
EXPLORER
1387 - 1433
HPI: 82.94
Rank: 1
Blanche I of Navarre
POLITICIAN
1387 - 1441
HPI: 68.96
Rank: 2

Others Deceased in 1433

Go to all Rankings

Zheng He
EXPLORER
1387 - 1433
HPI: 82.94
Rank: 1
John I of Portugal
POLITICIAN
1358 - 1433
HPI: 74.37
Rank: 2
Emperor Go-Komatsu
POLITICIAN
1377 - 1433
HPI: 66.57
Rank: 3
Lê Lợi
POLITICIAN
1384 - 1433
HPI: 65.38
Rank: 4
Lidwina
RELIGIOUS FIGURE
1380 - 1433
HPI: 62.57
Rank: 5
Baysunghur
ARCHITECT
1397 - 1433
HPI: 62.39
Rank: 6
Joan of France, Duchess of Brittany
POLITICIAN
1391 - 1433
HPI: 61.56
Rank: 7
James II, Count of Urgell
NOBLEMAN
1380 - 1433
HPI: 60.86
Rank: 8
Nicholas II Garai
POLITICIAN
1367 - 1433
HPI: 59.83
Rank: 9