00:00At the beginning of the 15th century, Admiral Zenge led several major maritime expeditions under the Ming dynasty.
00:06Between 1405 and 1433, his fleets sailed the seas of Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean,
00:11reaching in particular India, the Arabian Peninsula and the eastern coast of Africa.
00:15His travels served to establish diplomatic relations, develop trade, and demonstrate China's power.
00:22Contrary to the idea that the great explorations were exclusively European,
00:25Zenge's expeditions demonstrate the importance of Asian maritime networks in the early modern period.
