For decades, the descendants of Zheng He were hesitant to acknowledge their relationship with the Ming Dynasty eunuch whose fleets sailed to much of the world 88 years before Christopher Columbus.

　　But today, as the 600th anniversary of the first major voyage of Zheng He's treasure ships dawns the people in his home town are going all out to make sure the world knows that Jinning gave birth to the great ocean navigator.

　　In spite of his achievements Zheng He's name is barely mentioned in either China's historic records or the chronicles of the countries his ships reached.

　　The descendants of his adopted son, a nephew, were also hesitant to acknowledge their origin initially out of embarrassment because he was a eunuch, and later when it would have been singularly impolitic to have done so.

　　"Because Zheng He was a eunuch most of us, his descendants feel reluctant to recognize that fact," said Zheng Enliang, 71, and the 18th generation descendant of mariner.

　　Zheng Enliang, who lives in Jinning County, worked with the provincial religious affairs office for some 40 years before retiring to devote all his energies into researching his ancestor.

　　"Until our relatives from Thailand the 15th generation came to visit us in 1995, we did not acknowledge publicly our identity," he explained.

　　Zheng Enliang first became mindful of his ancestry decades ago as an 8-year-old schoolboy.

　　"I was attending primary school and there was one chapter in my history book entitled 'Sanbao Eunuch's Maritime Odyssey'," he recalls. "I was curious about his surname, the same as mine, and after school I rushed home to ask my elders about it."

　　His grandfather Zheng Tiancai a 16th generation descendant told the curious schoolboy: "You are the 18th generation descendant of Zheng He."

　　The answer came as a surprise to Zheng, but not something he wanted to brag about. In fact, for most of his life he has tried very hard to eschew his ancestry and he took the name of Ma Guangbi.

　　After 1949, when New China was founded, people did all they could to hide anything which linked them to relations overseas, such were regarded a shame bordering on sin. "I never told anybody my ancestry, but don't know why still many around know about it," said Zheng Enliang.

　　The situation is now the reverse, and Zheng Enliang prides himself on it and regales his son and grandson with tales of their illustrious ancestor's achievements.

　　Their family photograph taken in front of the statue set in Zheng He Garden in Jinning, has been used on promotion materials for the Zheng He Memorial Hall.

　　Zheng Enliang still remembers the doggerel his grandfather taught him about his ancestry:

　　"New spring of lunar month,

　　Outbound to shun enemy's hunt.

　　Bid adieu to old home in Kun Yang,

　　Moved to new shelter in Yu Xi small town.

　　Although life is hard and rough,

　　Thou shalt not forget you Zheng He's son."

　　Like Zheng Enliang, who has become open about his family, Jinning County, the birthplace of one of the world's greatest mariners, is hoping his fame will lift it out of obscurity.

　　The largest lake in the province is Dianchi Lake, near Kunming. However, the local people call it Kunyang Ocean.

　　Zheng He's first maritime odyssey was in 1405. Between then and 1433 he directed the fleets of mighty sailing junks under his command on another six epic voyages, travelling westward along the coast of Africa.

　　Some historians who have examined centuries-old navigational charts stored in Europe, even believe his ships reached the Americas.

　　Today the people of Jinning have chosen to erect a statue commemorating their most famous son, not set against the backdrop of the mighty oceans, but Dianchi Lake, or as it was known in olden times, Kunyang Ocean. Navigational charts in hand, Zheng He's sculpture stands braced to move on.

　　He might be somewhat miffed if he could see the setting his home town saw fitting. But to the locals of this inland area, a lake Dianchi was enormous centuries ago is an ocean.

　　Xu Keming, a researcher on Zheng He, said evidence suggests he spent his childhood along the shores of Dianchi Lake. No doubt its vast expanse spawned his later seafaring dreams.

　　In the 15th century, Kunyang Ocean had a circumference of 500 li (250 kilometres). Today that has shrunk to around 300 li or 150 kilometres.

　　Unlike their ancestor, who faced the challenges of uncharted seas and the threat of pirates, today the people of Jinning spend most of their time pondering how to earn a decent living.

　　In the Zheng He Memorial Hall, Jinning, a model rests on a rectangular table in the exhibition hall gathering dust.

　　Locals explain it represented plans to build an Arabian Nights Amusement Park, one in which every major place Zheng He visited would be crammed in, in miniature. Strolling around Jinning County, the thing that strikes are the many factories with dilapidated signboards and a sense of the crestfallen.

　　On a bulletin board in the main street, a plastered article cut from newspaper has the headline: "To Make Known Jinning the Birthplace of Zheng He!"

　　After 600 years, Zheng He's town fellows are at pains to convey one simple fact: Zheng He was born in Jinning.