Indonesians of Chinese origin living in Central Java, Yogyat, Bali and East Java are keen to promote their ancestral links with Zheng He and the legacy the mariner left on this country.

　　Six centuries ago the devout Muslim commander of China's unrivalled treasure fleets sailed the seas, trading and exploring.

　　Today that legacy lives on and is evidenced in various handicrafts, religious customs and, more practically, commercial ideas.

　　Semarang, the capital city of Central Java Province, is renowned for the Sam Poo Kong Temple, where Zheng He once meditated during a visit by his fleet.

　　Nowadays it draws some 100 pilgrims a day, including ethnic Chinese Indonesians and the indigenous people.

　　"They come to ask Zheng He to protect them," said Li Botu, chairman of the Commemoration Organization for the 600th Anniversary of Zheng He's Ocean Navigation. The temple, he adds, has helped both ethnic groups learn more about the other and promoted ties between them.

　　The local government and those engaged in commerce, have raised 4 billion rupiahs (about US$500,000) to commemorate Zheng He's first voyage in 1405.

　　The money will pay for seminars on Zheng He's contribution, a photographic exhibition of the routes he navigated, the establishment of a new Zheng He Temple, as well as performances by various artists.

　　Officials from China's Fujian Province, with which Semarang is twinned, are considering paying a visit to the city of 2.5 million inhabitants, 15 per cent of whom are ethnic Chinese, said Li.

　　In Yogyat, what the two ethnic groups share is not a temple, but wells. Legend has it Zheng He and members of his fleet taught local people how to dig water wells. Years on, the wells acquired mystical qualities. People thought that the water from them could heal, drive away evil spirits and ensure safety.

　　Nowadays, during certain festivals, Yogyat residents draw water from the wells to shower with, bathe their babies in and ritually wash their clothes.

　　"Zheng He left a healthy life style for local people. The ethnic Chinese here are well-treated more or less due to Zheng He's legacy," said Bimo Yuwono, secretary of the Indonesian Chinese Association in Yogyat.

　　In Bali, the largest tourist destination in Indonesia, many people worship a Chinese businessman as a "God of Wealth." The man accompanied Zheng He, eventually settling in Indonesia where he became treasury minister and helped develop commercial life on the island. He was later renamed Igusti Ngurah Subandar.

　　Many pilgrims come to worship at Subandar's temple on Kintamani Mountain, two hours drive from Bali's capital, Denpasar.

　　Local travel guide Iwayan Djasman says like Zheng He, Subandar came from Yunnan Province in the south of China. He married and had children in Bali, and was keen to promote intermarriage between the Chinese immigrants and native Balinese.

　　Subandar exerted quite a strong influence on the livelihood of the local people, according to Djasman.

　　For example he introduced Ming Dynasty's bronze coins to the island, where they once circulated as official currency and were later worshipped as gifts from heaven.

　　The Chinese characters on the bronze coins were too sophisticated to understand, so locals began to think of them as talismans, the guide explained.

　　Zheng Bihong, another guide, echoed Djasman's remarks, saying Chinese bronze coins have been used by Balinese at various grand ceremonies as valuable items of sacrifice or high-class decorations.

　　Subandar also brought porcelain, wood and stone sculptures to the island. Before long, local people had mastered such handicrafts and Bali became known as "an island of folk art." Today, shops making and selling wood and stone sculptures have become one of its landmarks.

　　"His pioneering work has benefited generations of Balinese as the province gradually developed into one of the hottest sightseeing destinations in Southeast Asia," Zheng Bihong said.

　　The long-dead treasury minister's temple on the Kintamani Mountain today attracts dozens of pilgrims from both ethnic groups each day.

　　In Surabaya, the capital city of East Java Province, the mosque named after Zheng He has contributed considerably to local religious and cultural life since it was established two years ago.

　　Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia Lu Shuming presented an inscribed plaque at the opening ceremony on May 28, 2003, which read "Masjid Muhammad Zheng Hoo."

　　More than three religious ceremonies are held each month at the mosque, with the largest attracting 15,000 adherents, Abbas Hary from the Indonesian Zheng He Fund said.

　　In addition to Muslims who attend religious ceremonies, the mosque also sees some 20 to 30 visitors a day, who come to pay their respects to Zheng He's bravery, open-mindedness and friendly spirit.

　　"When both indigenous Muslims and ethnic Chinese Muslims attend the same ceremony or visit the same mosque, you can see peace and harmony," said Hary.