Great Voyages Peace Envoy

—— Special Reports —— Great Voyages Peace Envoy —— Commentary

A dialogue and exchange between civilizations

　　This year marks the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's western voyages. China and concerned countries will commemorate the occasion with grand activities and research into these largest maritime expeditions in Chinese history.

　　For later generations, history is always reconstructed through written records and relics. It therefore leaves behind many blanks and secrets, which can only be approached, but never be exhausted. Perhaps that is where the fascination of history lies.

　　Few full and accurate records can be found in official history as to the decision-making process of Zheng He's western voyages. There is a folktale of Overseas Pursuing of the Exiled Emperor Jianwen of the Ming Dynasty in unofficial history, which seems to be the only footnote.

　　There was a flaw in ancient Chinese's study of history - they tended to recount history as if it was just the history of struggles for power among emperors and kings. And it was customary in folk literature to explain away major events with trivial and private motivations.

　　Trivial motivations were offered as explanations for Qin Shihuang (First Emperor) building the Great Wall, Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty pushing frontiers and Emperor Yang of the Sui Dynasty digging the Grand Canal. However, what they lacked were explanations against the broad setting of the society.

　　Today's studies compensate for this by offering more elucidation on the economic and technological development, foreign trade and exchange and maritime passages of the early Ming Dynasty.

　　For example, the starting place of Zheng He's western voyages - Taicang, had become an international port early in the Song and Yuan Dynasty. It was also a training base for the navy.

　　During the late Yuan Dynasty Zhang Shicheng stationed as many as tens of thousands naval forces here and a coastal guard fleet was founded during the early Ming Dynasty. These born testimony to the need of the Chinese society for navigation and even the navy.

　　Also, Zheng He's seven western voyages, with their scale and time span (28 years from the third year of Emperor Yongle's reign to the eighth year of Emperor Xuande's reign in the Ming Dynasty), could not simply be explained with the "pursuing" theory.

　　Zheng He's western voyages were almost a hundred years earlier than those of Vasco da Gama, Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan, making him the pioneer of the great era of navigation in human history. His fleets were several times that of the latter, with crews tens and hundreds times more. China was indisputably a sea power and the Chinese at that time were very sea-conscious as these have proved.

　　After the Xuande reign, however, the rampancy of Japanese pirates in the coastal regions forced the Ming authorities to a timid policy of closing the country. "Not a inch of plank is allowed to go to sea", "not a single sail is permitted to go out" -- the ban on seafaring lasted from Ming to Qing Dynasty.

　　China's seafaring went downhill fast and the spiritual state of the Chinese grew close. Following this there were several invasions by way of the waters by the powers, coupled with the defeat of the Sino-Japanese War of 1894 on the sea, leaving one filled with sorrowful feelings toward history as if it were engraved on one's bones and heart.

　　Recent reading of news report said China's shipbuilding industry has entered the world's top three places and is showing an encouraging trend. The symbol of China's modern industry -- Shanghai Jiangnan Shipyard will be moved to a new modernized site.

　　Since the reform and opening up China's foreign economic ties has been growing closer. Foreign trade is making up rather large proportion in China's economy and the shipping industry has made great progress. The history of the reform is, in some sense, the history of the great development of China's seafaring.

　　In an era of economic globalization enhancing sea consciousness and fostering sea culture should be part of the rejuvenation of the Chinese culture. For people living 600 years ago the sea meant more of expedition and exploration while for people living today the sea means more of exchange and communications. To be more open to the sea will bring the Chinese civilization a more open mind and a stronger desire to explore.

　　Among the historical materials about Zheng He one fact is rather intriguing. Zheng He himself was an Islamic follower. He not only conducted grand religious activities in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) during the western voyages, but also accomplished his Mecca pilgrimage. The historical fact illustrates that the Chinese civilization is indeed very comprehensive and has acquired a cultural pattern of multiple co-existence and interdependence.

　　The process of Zheng He's western voyages was in, a sense, one of dialogue and exchange. In today's world, cultural conflicts have become a theoretical topic as well as an aspect of life. This situation all the more accentuates the necessity of cultural dialogue. The history of Zheng He's seven western voyages, the Chinese nation's humanistic concept of Harmonizing All States should be of reference value and help to addressing this question.

　　Zheng He's seven western voyages, embodying an exploratory spirit, lasted a span of 28 years bearing testimony to his tenacity and persistence, which are two basic elements of the Chinese national spirit to be advanced and enriched.

　　As the old saying goes, it all depends on human effort and man will triumph over nature, which embodies enterprising aspect of the Chinese culture. Sima Qian (an outstanding historian in the Western Han Dynasty) said: "only the unconventional and extraordinary ones are worthy of mentioning", which shows his value orientation of understanding people and discussing the society in his study of history. The seven western voyages by Zheng He were an example of extraordinary practice by extraordinary people that merits great spaces in the writings of historians.

　　Today, as China makes for the rejuvenation of great nation, inheriting Zheng He's innovative spirit to be the first in the world is of practical significance.

[ 2005-07-11 ]