Ming, 1368–1644

Han people resumed their rule during the Ming dynasty. One distinction is the overseas expeditions during the period 1405–1433 led by Zheng He, a eunuch and confidante of the emperor of the Ming dynasty. According to Gavin (2003), on March 8, 1421 Zheng He sailed the largest fleet the world had ever seen from China. The fleet reached America 70 years before Columbus and circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan. One of the areas explored was Taiwan, leading to an exodus of Chinese immigrants to this island. During the early period of the Qing dynasty that followed Ming, the Han Chinese in Taiwan assisted in a rebellion in the mainland to overthrow the rulers of the Qing dynasty. This was a part of Chinese history used by the current People's Republic of China's (PRC) government to base its claim that Taiwan is a part of China.