 On the Malabar coast during the early 15th century, Calicut and Kochi were in an intense rivalry, so the Ming dynasty of China decided to intervene by granting special status to Kochi and its ruler known as "Keyili" (可亦里) to the Chinese.Calicut had been the dominant port-city in the region, but Kochi was emerging as its main rival.For the fifth Ming treasure voyage, Admiral Zheng He was instructed to confer a seal upon "Keyili" of Kochi and enfeoff a mountain in his kingdom as the "Zhenguo Zhi Shan" (鎮國之山, Mountain Which Protects the Country).