Zheng He，s original surname was Ma. He took thefirst name He and styled a Sanbao. He was born in1371， during the Ming Dynasty， into a family of the Huinationality， which traditionally follows Islam， in HedaiVillage， Baoshan Township， Kunyang Prefecture (today，sJinning County， Kunming City)， Yunnan Province ofChina. His sixth generation ancestor Sayyid Ajjal Shamsal-Din Omar (1211-1279) was stationed in Xianyang andwon merit when following Mongolian noble GenghisKhan in war. During the reign of Kublai Khan， in theYuan Dynasty， Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar assumedthe post of Pingzhang Zhengshi or governor of YunnanProvince. In his six-year tenure， Omar made outstandingpolitical achievements and was loved and respected bythe people. After his death， he was awarded the title of“Xianyang King.” His offspring lived in Yunnan andinherited the title of Dianyanghou. The family lived sideby side with the Han people for generations and， overtime， began following the customs of Han， including
件。因之可以说，郑和下西洋是“地理大发现”的先导，它为“大航海时代”的到来作出了积极的贡献，也为地球的东西两方联成一体作出了直接的贡献。
郑和，本姓马，名和，字三宝，公元1371年生于明代中国云南省昆阳州（今昆明市晋宁县）宝山乡和代村一个世代信奉伊斯兰教的回族家庭。他的六世祖赛典赤·瞻思丁（Sayyid Ajjal Shams al-Din Omar，1211-1279）因随蒙古贵族首领成吉思汗征战有功驻镇咸阳；元世祖忽必烈即位后，赛典赤·瞻思丁出任
adopting the surname Ma. Zheng He，s grandfather andfather all visited Tianfang， a holy land of Islam (known asMecca in Saudi Arabia today) to make a pilgrimage. Theywere given the honorable title of “Hazhi”. Zheng He，sfather was named Ma Hazhi. He was tall and of a sturdystature. He was upright and willing to help others andwas well respected.
When he was young， Zheng He was clever andhandsome with a high forehead and big eyes. He wasloved by his neighbors. He grew up and learnt from hisparents the stories of his grandfather，s visit to Meccadespite the distance and hardship of the sea route. Thesestories inspired his desire to travel to the holy land ofMecca and his curiosity to explore overseas countries.Zheng He，s parents guided him to study the Arabiclanguage and Islamic sutras and paid close attentions tohis physical body and the cultivation of his courage andperseverance.
In 1382， when Zheng He was 12 years old， armies ofthe Ming Dynasty occupied Yunnan. Zheng He，s fatherdied in the war. Zheng He was captured by Ming armies.
They took him to Nanjing and castrated him into a youngeunuch. The Hongwu Emperor Zhu Yuanzhang (on thethrone from 1368-1398) gave Zheng He to his fourthson Prince Yan Zhu Di (guarded in Beijing) as a youngdomestic servant. As a young domestic servant， Zheng Hehad to shoulder a heavy daily workload at the Mansionof Prince Yan， from cleaning up the four treasures of the
云南省平章政事（相当于今省长），在任六年，政绩显着，深受人们爱戴，死后封为“咸阳王”。其子孙世居云南，袭封滇阳侯。由于长时间与汉族共处，改从汉俗，定姓马。
郑和的祖父和父亲都曾不远万里朝觐伊斯兰教圣地天方（今沙特阿拉伯麦加），故被荣称“哈只”。郑和父亲马哈只，身材高大，为人正直，乐于助人，深得当地百姓的尊敬。
郑和幼时容貌俊秀，聪明伶俐，甚得乡邻们的喜爱。稍稍懂事以后，常从父母口中听到祖辈不畏海路艰辛，战风斗浪，长途跋涉朝觐麦加的生动故事，使他幼小的心灵萌发了对远方圣地麦加的向往，产生出探索海外异域的好奇心。郑和的父母引导他认真学习阿拉伯语言文字和伊斯兰教经典，并注重他的体魄锻炼和勇气、毅力的培养。
1382年郑和12岁时，明朝军队攻占云南。战乱中，他父亲不幸身亡，他为明军所俘，被带回京师南京后遭阉割，成为一名小太监。洪武皇帝朱元璋(1368-1398年在位) 将他赐给第四个儿子、镇守北京的燕王朱棣做家奴。