by Sally K. Church
Ma Huan (fl. 1412-1451) was a Chinese Muslim from Kuaiji, near Hangzhou. He was recruited for his linguistic ability in Arabic and Persian to serve as an interpreter on the maritime expeditions of Zheng He when they began to sail beyond Calicut to Hormuz and beyond. He was on board the 4th, 6th, and 7th expeditions.
The travel account he wrote, Yingya shenglan, is best source for the maritime expeditions of Zheng He, otherwise known as the "Ming Voyages". It was published in approximately 1433. J. V. G. Mills' translation and thorough study of this work, published in 1970 by the Hakluyt Society, is still the most comprehensive and reliable source on the voyages in English:
Mills, J. V. G. Ma Huan, Ying-yai Sheng-lan, The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores [1433], Hakluyt Society (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1970).
For more information on Ma Huan, see the Ming Voyages.
