Sultan Paduka Pahala was a Sultan of Sulu, most famous for being the first and only monarch of the Philippines to visit China.

Journey to China and Demise of the Sultan

During 1417, the East King of the Sultanate of Sulu, Paduka Pahala, sailed with his family and 300 other people of noble descent. He was to pay tribute to the Yongle Chinese emperor, Zhu Di, who was of the Ming Dynasty. While he was welcomed by the emperor upon his arrival in China, he nevertheless contracted a mysterious disease on his way home and died at Dezhou

Dezhou

Dezhou is a prefecture-level city in northwestern Shandong province, People's Republic of China. It borders the provincial capital of Jinan to the southeast, Liaocheng to the southwest, Binzhou to the northeast, and the province of Hebei to the north....

, a town in Shandong

Shandong

' is a Province located on the eastern coast of the People's Republic of China. Shandong has played a major role in Chinese history from the beginning of Chinese civilization along the lower reaches of the Yellow River and served as a pivotal cultural and religious site for Taoism, Chinese...

 province in China. The emperor immediately commissioned artisans and sculptors to built a tomb for the deceased monarch, which still stands today.

Descendants

Tradition dictates that the descendants of Sultan Paduka Pahala remained in China and were subsequently classified as members of the Hui

Hui people

The Hui people are an ethnic group in China, defined as Chinese speaking people descended from foreign Muslims. They are typically distinguished by their practice of Islam, however some also practice other religions, and many are direct descendants of Silk Road travelers.In modern People's...

 nationality.

Popular culture

He was immortalised in the Filipino film Hari sa Hari, Lahi sa Lahi

Hari sa Hari, Lahi sa Lahi

Hari sa hari, lahi sa lahi is a 1987 Filipino-Chinese film directed by Lili Chou and Eddie Romero and starred Vic Vargas and Gang Wang.-Cast:*Vic Vargas as Pahala*Gang Wang *Rosemarie Sonora*Dan Alvaro*Tanya Gomez*Isabel Rivas...

, which recounts his voyage to China to give tribute to the Chinese Emperor.