Zheng He

Chinese admiral Zheng He led seven extraordinary naval expeditions (1405-1433) across Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and East Africa with fleets of up to 300 ships carrying 28,000 men — dwarfing any European fleet of the era. His "treasure ships" were reportedly 137 metres long — five times the size of Columbus's Santa Maria. Had China continued Zheng's explorations rather than turning inward, the Age of Discovery might have been Chinese rather than European.