Question 1

True or false: Zheng He commanded only a handful of ships, similar to European explorers of his era.

Accepted Answer

False. His largest fleet included over 300 ships and 27,000 men, far exceeding any contemporary European expedition.

Question 2

True or false: Zheng He's voyages occurred during the Qing Dynasty.

Accepted Answer

False. Zheng He's expeditions took place under the Ming Dynasty (1405–1433). The Qing Dynasty began in 1644, over two centuries later.

Question 3

True or false: Zheng He circumnavigated the globe during his seventh voyage.

Accepted Answer

False. Zheng He's voyages never went beyond East Africa. Circumnavigation was first achieved by Magellan's crew in 1522, nearly a century later.

Question 4

True or false: Zheng He was a pirate before being recruited by the Ming emperor.

Accepted Answer

False. He was a court eunuch and military commander, not a pirate; his father was a Muslim official in Yunnan.

Question 5

True or false: Zheng He was a eunuch who served the Ming Dynasty emperor.

Accepted Answer

True. Historical records confirm Zheng He was captured as a boy, castrated, and became a trusted eunuch official under the Yongle Emperor.

Question 6

True or false: Zheng He's voyages reached the east coast of Africa, trading with cities like Malindi and Mombasa.

Accepted Answer

True. His fleet visited Mogadishu, Malindi, and Mombasa, exchanging Chinese silk and porcelain for African ivory and giraffes.

Question 7

True or false: Zheng He discovered America nearly 70 years before Columbus.

Accepted Answer

False. No credible evidence supports this myth; his voyages focused on Southeast Asia, India, and Africa, not the Americas.

Question 8

True or false: Zheng He was a Muslim eunuch who served the Ming emperor as an admiral.

Accepted Answer

True. Born Ma He, he was captured as a child, castrated, and rose to become a trusted eunuch admiral of Muslim faith.

Question 9

True or false: Zheng He's fleet included ships that were over 400 feet long.

Accepted Answer

True. Ming dynasty records describe Zheng He's treasure ships as 44 zhang long, equivalent to about 440 feet, far exceeding 400 feet.

Question 10

True or false: Zheng He's voyages reached the east coast of Africa.

Accepted Answer

True. Zheng He's seventh voyage visited Mogadishu and Malindi in present-day Somalia and Kenya, confirmed by Chinese and African historical records.

Question 11

True or false: Zheng He was the first Chinese explorer to sail the Indian Ocean.

Accepted Answer

False. Chinese monks and traders, such as Faxian in the 5th century, sailed the Indian Ocean long before Zheng He's 15th-century voyages.

Question 12

True or false: Zheng He's fleet was destroyed by a massive tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

Accepted Answer

False. No historical source mentions a tsunami destroying Zheng He's fleet. His voyages ended due to imperial policy changes, not a natural disaster.

Question 13

True or false: Some historical records describe Zheng He's treasure ships as being over 400 feet long, dwarfing Christopher Columbus's Santa Maria.

Accepted Answer

True. Ming dynasty texts describe treasure ships up to 440 feet long, though modern scholars debate whether such large wooden vessels could have been built at the time.

Question 14

True or false: Zheng He exchanged gifts with the ruler of Sri Lanka during his voyages.

Accepted Answer

True. On his first voyage (1405–1407), Zheng He's fleet stopped in Sri Lanka, where the admiral presented silk, gold, and other imperial gifts to the local ruler in a standard tribute ceremony, receiving local goods in exchange.

Question 15

True or false: Zheng He's fleet was destroyed in a typhoon, ending the Ming dynasty's maritime expeditions.

Accepted Answer

False. The voyages ended due to court politics and Confucian opposition to foreign trade, not a single disaster.

Question 16

True or false: Zheng He brought a giraffe back to China from East Africa.

Accepted Answer

True. Zheng He's expeditions to East Africa returned with giraffes, which were hailed as the mythical qilin in China.

Zheng He Trivia Questions