Statue of Zheng He (1371 - 1435) in trhe Chinese Gardens, Singapore. Born in Yunnan Province, the last stronghold of the Yuan Dynasty against the Ming Dynasty. In 1381, following the defeat of the Northern Yuan, a Ming army was dispatched to Yunnan to put down the Mongol rebel Basalawarmi. He was then eleven years old, was captured and made a eunuch. He was sent to the Imperial court, where he eventually became a trusted adviser of the Yongle Emperor, assisting him in deposing the Jianwen Emperor. In return for meritorious service, the eunuch received the name Zheng He.