Where Zheng He started his expeditions

Water flows calmly where the Liuhe River merges with Yangtze River in Taicang, East China's Jiangsu province. Fields of green rice lie beside the waters and bird fly lazily overhead.

Eyeing the idyllic scenery, one may find it difficult to imagine China's naval expeditions, led by Zheng He (1371-1433), all started here. The place, called Liujiagang, was the "No 1 Port Under the Heaven" in documents from the Ming Dynasty (AD 1368-1644).

Between 1405 and 1433, the Ming emperor sponsored seven expeditions, all starting from Liujiagang. Fleets visited Brunei, Java, Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, India, the Horn of Africa, and Arabia.