The birthplace of Zheng He
Zheng He, a famous Chinese explorer who led seven massive naval expeditions around the world in the early 15th century, was born into a Muslim family in a village similar to this one along the shores of Dianchi Lake in Yunnan Province. The fleet he commanded far outstripped anything else the world would see for centuries, with nearly 28,000 sailors on more than 300 ships that traveled to India, Africa and the Arabian Peninsula.