CY Tung Maritime Museum

Named after the Shanghai-born shipping magnate, this small but fascinating museum in Jiaotong University explores Chinese maritime history, with model ships, ancient compasses and early trade-route maps. A large portion of the 1st floor is devoted to Zheng He, the 15th-century admiral and explorer who was born a Hui Muslim in Yunnan and later made a eunuch at the Ming court. Eventually, he went on to command Chinese fleets on journeys to East Africa, India and the Persian Gulf.