Summary: In this week's episode we examine the second great emperor of the Ming Dynasty, the Yongle [Yong - Leh] emperor who reigned 1402-1424. This tireless emperor waged campaigns against the Mongols in the north, the Vietnamese in the south and sent sailing expeditions throughout Asia, the subcontinent and the east coast of Africa to engage the peoples of these faraway lands and bring the splendor of China to them. These legendary voyages of the eunuch Admiral Zheng He were the brainchild of the Yongle emperor.
