2005 - 600th Anniversary of Zheng He's 1st Voyage

As 2005 rapidly draws to a close, I would be derelict if I failed to mention that 2005 marks the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's first of seven voyages to South Seas and Africa -- having set sail on July 11, 1405. To celebrate this event, there is a long article in the July 2005 issue of the National Geographic: "China's Great Armada: Six hundred years ago, China's Admiral Zheng He led a mighty fleet on the first of seven voyages that reshaped an empire " (pp 28-53). Indeed, the Library of Congress had a day-long symposium on Zheng He (on May 16, 2005), with participants around the world, including Gavin Menzies, a retired UK submarine captain and author of a best-selling book 1421: The Year China Discovered America (in which Menzies contends that, during the 6th voyage, Zheng He's colleagues set foot in America). Later, the LC staff organzied a two-week trip to China, visiting sites made famous by Zheng He, in which my wife and I joined (each participant paid his/her own way). We visited Taichong (between Shanghai and Suzhou), where Zheng He set sail for the open sea; Nanjing, where Zheng He's boats (some "may have measured up to 400 feet in length and 170 feet across the beam" - National Geographic) were built; Kunming, Zheng He's birthplace; and Quanzhou, along with Alexandria, the two leading seaports in that era, where provisions and goods were loaded.
Posted at 9:12 pm, Saturday, December 31, 2005.