Zheng He 郑和

郑和出生于明洪武四年（1371年），原名：马三宝，他曾七下西洋是著名的航海家。马三宝10岁，被掳入明营，被阉割成太监，之后进入朱棣的燕王府。在靖难之变中，马三宝在河北郑州（在今河北任丘北，非河南郑州）为燕王朱棣立下战功。永乐二年（1404年）明成祖朱棣认为马姓不能登三宝殿，因此在南京御书“郑”字赐马三保郑姓，改名为和，任为内官监太监，官至四品，地位仅次于司礼监。宣德六年（1431年）钦封郑和为三保太监。
Zheng He, former name Ma Sanbao, was born in the fourth year of Hongwu period of the Ming Dynasty (1371) and was a famous mariner, who led seven expeditions to what the Chinese called “the Western Ocean” (Indian Ocean). Ma Sanbao, at the age of 10, was captured by the Ming troops and made a eunuch. Then he was sent to the court of Zhu Di, the then King Yan. In the Jingnan Rebellion, Ma performed outstanding military exploits for Zhu Di in Zhengzhou, Hebei (present-day north to Renqiu, Hebei Province, instead of the present Zhengzhou City, Henan Province). In the second year of Yongle period (1404), Zhu Di, the Emperor Chengzu of the Ming Dynasty, gave the family name “Zheng” to Ma Sanbao for Zhu Di believed that no person surnamed Ma shall enter the imperial halls, and changed Ma’s given name, Sanbao, to He in Nanjing and appointed Zheng He as director of court eunuchs, which was a fourth-rank official position, second only to the director of imperial ceremony office. In the sixth year of Xuande period (1431), Zheng He was granted the title of Grand Eunuch Director Sanbao by the emperor.
主要成就：郑和下西洋
Major achievement(s): Voyages of Zheng He