Encyclopedia of India–China Cultural Contacts v1.c4.s2.95

v1.c4.s2.95

In early 15ᵗʰ century CE, China further extended its maritime navigation and Zheng He's (1371～1433) seven expeditions to the Western Ocean served to expand India-China interaction. Zheng He visited a number of places in India. Fei Xin, Ma Huan and Gong Zhen, who had accompanied Zheng He in these voyages, wrote *Xing Cha Sheng Lan* (*The Description of the Starry Raft*), *Ying Ya Sheng Lan* (*The General Survey of the Ocean Shores*) and *Xi Yang Fan Guo Zhi* (*The Annals of Foreign Nations in the Western Ocean*), respectively. These are important documents for the study of India-China relations during that period. Around the same time, Hou Xian had been to India on a diplomatic mission many times. According to *Xing Cha Sheng Lan*, *Ying Ya Sheng Lan* and *Ming Shi* (*History of the Ming Dynasty*), Ming Dynasty had contact with the following Indian kingdoms or places: Delhi, Jaunpur, Bengal, Vijayanagar, Cochin, Kollam, Cail (on the east coast of south India), Comorin, Chola (on the southwest coast of India), Calicut and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.