In 1433, the seventh and final Ming dynasty treasure voyage under Admiral Zheng He concluded, with the massive fleet returning to China after reaching as far as the Arabian Peninsula and East Africa. These expeditions, involving hundreds of ships and tens of thousands of personnel, had projected Chinese power, facilitated diplomacy, trade, and tribute across the Indian Ocean. The decision to halt further voyages reflected shifting imperial priorities, Confucian bureaucratic opposition to costly maritime adventures, and a turn inward, just decades before European explorers began their own oceanic expansions. This marked the end of China's era of grand maritime exploration.

Zheng He's voyages and their abrupt end influenced global perceptions of exploration and cultural exchange, later inspiring narratives of maritime adventure and empire in both Chinese and Western literature. Accounts of the fleets, including giraffes presented as mythical qilin, fed into travelogues and wonder literature that paralleled Marco Polo's influence. In the broader literary context, the cessation highlighted tensions between expansionist and isolationist worldviews, resonating with poets and chroniclers reflecting on empire, discovery, and cultural encounters during the Renaissance and Age of Exploration. While direct poetic links are indirect, the voyages enriched the tapestry of global storytelling traditions about distant lands and human ambition.