 According to Chinese sources, his origin lies in an area in Northeast Yemen, 60 kilometers South of Mecca and belonged to a family which descended from a certain companion of Prophet Muhammad.In the early 10th century, the Chinese emperor of the Song dynasty encouraged the advancement of the study of astronomy and its related disciplines.In 961, the Emperor Taizu (r. 960-976) appointed Ma Yize (910?-1005) as the chief official to take charge of the government observatory.