Conversation so far:
What is Zheng He's relationship with Imperial China?
In the decades after the last voyage, Imperial officials minimized the importance of Zheng He and his expeditions throughout the many regnal and dynastic histories they compiled.
What did Zheng He do?
Zheng He commanded expeditionary treasure voyages to Southeast Asia, South Asia, Western Asia, and East Africa from 1405 to 1433.

Question: How did Imperial China minimize the importance of Zheng?
Self-contained rewrite: How did Imperial China minimize the importance of Zheng He?