In Chinese history, the treasure voyages were the seven Ming era maritime voyages of the treasure fleet, between 1405 and 1433.
Yongle Emperor initiated the construction of the treasure fleet in 1403. This grand project resulted in seven far-reaching ocean voyages to the coastal territories, and islands in and around the South China Sea, the Indian Ocean, and beyond. Admiral Zheng led the expeditions for the Ming emperor.
The treasure voyages were unmatched in world history. These missions were astonishing for the long distances covered. Six of the voyages occurred during the Yongle reign, and the seventh voyage occurred under the Xuande reign. The first three voyages reached up to Calicut in India. The fourth voyage went as far as Persian Gulf. Afterwards, the fleet made voyages farther away to Africa.
Over the course of the maritime voyages of the early 15th century, Ming China became the dominant naval power by projecting its sea power further to the south and west. There are still reservations left open to debate about the size of the Ming ships, the magnitude of the fleet, the routes travelled, and the places explored.
