Heroes of the Past

Admiral Zheng He's Voyages

Normally one associates long and adventurous sea voyages with the colonising countries of western Europe. The thought that China might have a hero of the high seas does not spring readily to mind. Yet, it is emerging that China did indeed give birth to a most remarkable hero in Zheng He. Not only was he among the greatest voyagers, he was also one of the first, operating as he did between 1405-1433, that is, during the Ming Dynasty.

Interestingly, Zheng He was born in kunming, quite far from the sea. Uniquely, he was a follower of two faiths - the Islamic and the Buddhist. This in itself equipped him ideally to visit a whole host of coutnries to the west, in either one or the other tradition.

Zheng He is now regarded as the greatest Chinmese navigator of all time. A map of his voyagers is some indication of his daring and ambition. Once or many times he called on such ports as Liujia, Changle, Quanzhou, Qui Nhon, Surabaya, Jakarta, Palembang, Malacca, Bangkok, Chittagong, Cuttack, Colombo, Quilon, Calicut, Hormuz, Aden, Mombasa - and many more. Even by today's standards, it was a remarakable achievement.

And so, while China's heart will swell with pride before and during the coming Olympics, it is good for her and he people to remember that once upon a time, there was a mighty sailor whose exploits, long before the Olympics became what we now know them to be, give China many weighty reasons to be proud. Zheng He's story needs to be told.