The ''Xingcha Shenglan'' () is a Chinese historical work written by

Fei Xin Fei Xin (; - after 1436) was a member of the military personnel of the fleet of the Ming dynasty admiral Zheng He, known as the author of a book about the countries visited by Chinese ships. Biography Little is known about Fei Xin's life. ...

. Fei Xin served as a soldier in the third, fifth, and seventh

Ming treasure voyages The Ming treasure voyages were maritime expeditions undertaken by Ming China's treasure fleet between 1405 and 1433. The Yongle Emperor ordered the construction of the fleet in 1403. The grand project resulted in seven far-reaching ocean voy ...

under the command of Admiral

Zheng He Zheng He (also romanized Cheng Ho; 1371–1433/1435) was a Chinese eunuch, admiral and diplomat from the early Ming dynasty, who is often regarded as the greatest admiral in History of China, Chinese history. Born into a Muslims, Muslim famil ...

. The book contains descriptions of foreign places that the Chinese mariners had seen. The literary term "star raft" refers to an ambassador's flagship. According to Dreyer (2007), Fei Xin's book was strongly influenced by

Ma Huan Ma Huan (, Xiao'erjing: ) ( 1380–1460), courtesy name Zongdao (), pen name Mountain-woodcutter (會稽山樵), was a Chinese explorer, translator, and travel writer who accompanied Admiral Zheng He on three of his seven expeditions to the We ...

's '' Yingya Shenglan''. Ma Huan was a translator and interpreter on Zheng He's fourth, sixth, and seventh treasure voyage. Fei Xin's original work comprised two chapters. However, he rewrote and illustrated the initial work before presenting it to the court.

References

Literature

* * {{refend Chinese history texts 15th-century history books Travel books Ming dynasty literature Ming treasure voyages History books about India

See also

References

Literature