Cheng Ho, former surname was Ma & second name ho born in a traditional Moslem family, at Baoshan Village of Kunyang Yunnan province(today’s Jingning). He was the third one among the six so called little Sanbao.When he was born, Yuan Dynasty had been overthrown.

With the Arabia noble blood, Cheng Ho he was the sixth offspring of Xianyang empire Sayyid Ajjal of Yuan Dynasty who submitted to Genghis khan in a war to fight the Western Region country Khorazm because they robbed the Mongolian camel trade caravan. Afterwards as a local official, equal to nowadays Beijing mayor, he guarded Yunnan for 6 years so that his offspring was dubbed as Dianyang marquis to guard Hunyang, nowadays Jinning town in Yunnan southern Dianchi. On that time, Mahomet written in Chinese as Mahamet so that many believers took Ma as the surname to show their piety. So did the ancestors of Cheng Ho’s.

In 14th Hongwu year,(a time measurement in ancient China in Ming Dynasty, equal to 1381), Ming military forces conquered Yunnan province. At the same year Cheng Ho’s father passed away at his 12. Due to the war damage and family misfortune his life became more miserable. He was captured to Nanjing at his 14 by the army to castrate to be a eunuch in the palace. Latter Zhu Yuanzhan, the founder of Ming Dynasty, presented Ma Ho to his 4th son Yang lord Zhu Di.

Due to his diligence, cleverness, outstanding wisdom, & hard working, Yan lord trusted in him and chose him as the closest housecarl.At this time his inborn outstanding characteristics and the leadership abilities revealed gradually. During the four years’ Jingnan War, he followed his lord Zhu Di to be one of the major heroes in helping him seized the purple. In 1403, the monk teacher, Daoyan, introduced Cheng Ho to baptize a Buddhist name- Fushan (means kindness and good fortune) & accepted the Bodhisattva abstention. In early 1404 year( the 2nd year of Yongle),the king Zhu Di wrote a character “Cheng” as the present for his surname, and in addition promoted him as the royal official & the eunuch. Because he was a Buddhist, and Buddhism regarded Buddhist, legalist & monk as “three treasures” so that Cheng Ho was called “three treasure eunuch” (Saobao eunuch)