
In the center of downtown Changle City of East China's Fujian Province lie
Zheng He Park and the Exhibition Hall of Zheng He's Historical Relics,
originally known as "Southern Hill Park," (which was first built in 1088 during
the Song Dynasty (960-1279)). There is a pagoda that was built during the Song
Dynasty but which still stands like a towering giant.
In 1412, prior to Zheng He's fourth voyage to the western seas, the pagoda
was repaired and renamed "Three-Peak Pagoda." At the same time, a palace was
built in front of the pagoda, which was the venue for offering prayers and
thanks to gods.
In 1985, in honor of the 580th anniversary of Zheng He's first voyage to
the western seas, Changle's local government decided to establish an exhibition
hall of Zheng He's historical relics on the palace's site, and changed the
park's name to "Zheng He Park."
There is a horizontal inscribed board with golden inscriptions over the
exhibition hall's gate, and the scene of Zheng He's voyage to the western sea is
drawn on the big screen inside the hall. In the middle of the hall stands a bust
that is over one meter in height.
"The Monument to Zheng He", a precious relic displayed in the exhibition
hall, was erected in 1431 before Zheng He made his seventh voyage to the western
seas. The inscription on the stele, totaling 1,177 characters, recorded in
detail the process of Zheng He's sixth voyage to the western seas and the tasks
to be achieved during the seventh one.
The inscription is an important historical material for research on the
history of overseas communication history as well as the history of Sino-foreign
exchanges during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).
Inside the spacious hall, Zheng He's historical relics are exhibited in
four parts -- "Prelude," "Historical Background of Zheng He's Voyages to the
Western Seas," "Zheng He's Voyages, with Fujian as the Navigation Base," and
"Great Achievements and Profound Impacts."
Duplicates of bronze bells, precious ships, navigation charts, and other
relics as well as pictures are among the exhibited items. There are also many
books, including, "In Commemoration of Zheng He's Voyages to the Western Seas,"
written by Xiang Nan, and "Zheng He and Fujian," which came out after the
academic forum held during the 580th anniversary, and so on.
On the second floor, many calligraphic works by famous calligraphers are on
exhibition.