>Gotitbro at 18:25, 3 February 2021

2021-02-03T18:25:22Z

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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2019}}
{{for|the monetary gift known as [[wikt:hóngbāo|hóngbāo]] in Mandarin|Red envelope}}
[[File:Zheng-He-7th-expedition-map.svg|thumb|300px|The 7th voyage of Zheng He's fleet. A possible route of Hong Bao's squadron is shown as a dashed line, based on analysis by [[Edward L. Dreyer]].{{sfn|Dreyer|2006|p=156-157}}]]
'''Hong Bao''' ({{zh|洪保}}; ''[[floruit|fl]].'' ''ca.'' 1412–1433) was a Chinese [[eunuch]] sent on [[Treasure voyages|overseas diplomatic missions]] during the reigns of the [[Yongle Emperor]] and [[Xuande Emperor]] in the [[Ming dynasty]]. He is best known as the commander of one of the detached squadrons of [[Zheng He]]'s fleet during the Seventh Voyage of this fleet to the Indian Ocean (1431–1433).

==Early career==
According to the ''[[History of Ming]]'', in 1412 (i.e., some time between the third and fourth voyages of Zheng He's fleet), Hong Bao was sent by the [[Yongle Emperor|Yongle]] Emperor as the envoy to [[Thailand]].{{sfn|Tsai|2002|p=198}}<ref name=grave1/>

In 1421 Hong Bao participated in the sixth voyage of Zheng He, during which foreign envoys were transported back to their countries, as far as [[Ormus]].<ref name=grave1/>

==Hong Bao on the Seventh Voyage of Zheng He==
Hong Bao's name appears in the [[:commons:Category:Zheng He Liujiagang Stele|inscription]] made by [[Zheng He]] in [[Liujiagang]] in 1431, before his fleet left China on its 7th (and last) voyage to the "Western Ocean" ([[Indian Ocean]]). According to the inscription,
the two Principal Envoys (正使) sent by the [[Xuande]] Emperor to the countries of the Western Ocean were the eunuchs [[Zheng He]] and [[Wang Jinghong]].
Hong Bao was one of the five Assistant Envoys (副使) (along with Zhu Liang, [[Zhou Man]], Yang Zhen, and Zhang Da). Hong Bao, as well as all other Principal and Assistant Envoys except for Zhang Da, had the eunuch rank of Grand Director (太監, ''Taijian'').{{sfn|Dreyer|2006|p=146,191}}<ref name=grave1/><ref>[http://www.douban.com/note/13208305/ 娄东刘家港天妃宫石刻通番事迹碑] (Text of the Liujiagang inscription)</ref>

Much of what we know about Hong Bao comes from the book written by the interpreter [[Ma Huan]], who served in his squadron during the 7th voyage of Zheng He's fleet. According to [[Edward L. Dreyer]]'s analysis of the preserved sources about the voyage, in particular [[Ma Huan]]'s book, Hong Bao commanded a squadron which most likely separated from the main fleet in [[Semudera]] in northern [[Sumatra]] (although other suggested it may have happened earlier, in [[Qui Nhon]] in [[Champa]]), and visited [[Bengal]]. From Bengal, Hong Bao's squadron would then go to [[Kozhikode|Calicut]] in southern India, to which the main fleet came directly from Semudera across the [[Bay of Bengal]].{{sfn|Dreyer|2006|p=156-157}}

While the main fleet left Calicut to [[Ormus]] (in [[Persian Gulf]]), Hong Bao's squadron went from Calicut to various destinations on the west side of the [[Arabian Sea]] in southern Arabia and [[Horn of Africa]], including [[Aden]] and [[Mogadishu]].{{sfn|Dreyer|2006|p=156-157}} Before leaving Calicut, Hong Bao sent seven of his sailors, including [[Ma Huan]], to [[Mecca]] and [[Medina]] aboard a native (Indian?) ship going to [[Jeddah]].{{sfn|Dreyer|2006|p=158-159}}

==Grave==
In June 2010, the Chief of Archaeology Department at [[Nanjing Museum]] Wang Zhigao announced that a Ming Dynasty grave
recently found near Zutang Mountain (祖堂山) in the [[Jiangning District]] of [[Nanjing]] was identified as that of Hong Bao (and not of Zheng He himself, as it was earlier surmised).<ref name=grave1>{{citation
|url=http://news.sina.com.cn/o/2010-06-26/052517711814s.shtml
|title=南京发现郑和下西洋副手之墓 (The grave of Zheng He's deputy on his Voyage to the Western Ocean found in Nanjing)
|date=2010-06-26
}}</ref><ref>{{citation
|url=http://news.xinmin.cn/rollnews/2010/06/26/5430612.html
|title=南京祖堂山神秘大墓主人系郑和副手洪保 (The "owner" of the mysterious grave on Nanjing's Zutang Mountain is Zheng He's deputy Hong Bao)
|date=2010-06-26
}}</ref><ref>{{citation
|url=http://english.cri.cn/6909/2010/06/25/53s579319.htm
|title=Zheng He's Tomb Found in Nanjing
|date=2010-06-25|website=CRIENGLISH.com
}} (This is published ''before'' the inscription identifying the "owner" as Hong Bao was read)</ref>

==In literature==
In his book ''[[1421: The Year China Discovered the World]]'', amateur historian [[Gavin Menzies]] claims Hong Bao made voyages to Antarctica and Australia.

==Notes==
{{Reflist}}

==References==
* {{citation
|first=Edward L. |last=Dreyer
|publisher=Pearson Longman |year=2006
|isbn=0-321-08443-8
|title=Zheng He: China and the oceans in the early Ming dynasty, 1405-1433
|series=The library of world biography}}
* {{citation|first=Shih-Shan Henry|last= Tsai|title=Perpetual Happiness: The Ming Emperor Yongle|publisher=University of Washington Press|year= 2002|isbn= 0-295-98124-5|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aU5hBMxNgWQC }}
{{Chinese travellers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hong Bao}}
[[Category:Chinese explorers]]
[[Category:Ming dynasty eunuchs]]
[[Category:Chinese admirals]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:Year of death uncertain]]
[[Category:History of Kerala]]
[[Category:Treasure voyages]]
[[Category:Explorers of India]]

Hong Bao - Revision history

>Gotitbro at 18:25, 3 February 2021