How come Zheng He still enjoy so much respect and admiration from personalities of various circles after six full centuries? Apart from his magnificent feat of seven oceangoing voyages that stunned the world, what is more impressive is the powerful spirit of patriotism he displayed in his successful completion of missions, his willingness to take the bull by the horns, ready to blaze new trails and never yield in spite of reverses as well as his love for peace and his friendly dealings with neighboring countries.

　　Six centuries ago, seafaring was denied the modern conveniences such as navigational, weather, communication, medical and other kinds of necessary supports. Therefore, it will not be difficult to imagine the hardships they would have to go through. For its navigation at sea, Zheng He's fleet had to rely, to a large extent, on the navigators' command of the wind direction and its force as well as on their precise mastery of the law of how the monsoon would change its direction and what effect it would have on their navigation. This, beyond any doubt, posed a serious challenge to Zheng He who had basically had nothing to do with the sea. The success of his voyage to the west hung entirely on the correct selection of the location and the time of the departure of his fleet, the main navigation courses it would take, the havens and the rendezvous. In the absence of the pioneering spirit of being willing to venture into the unknown, such a heroic undertaking that outstripped the times would be out of the question. He and his fleet opened 21 sea routes in 28 years and sailed more than 70,000 nautical miles, which were equivalent to more than three trips around the earth, and won pride for the Chinese people.

　　It is quite safe to say that Zheng He's fleet boasted the most powerful naval force at that time. However, he never took the advantage of this prowess to bully weaker neighbors, never looted other countries' wealth by force, and never tried to subjugate them to colonies. Instead, he acted on the principle of "influencing them by virtue and befriending the foreign subjects with affection" in his peaceful dealings with the peoples of all the western countries. Zheng He's seven voyages created a brand-new diplomatic phase characterized by "harmonious relations between China and foreign countries; all nations in the world coming to pay respects; all people getting along with each other like one family and enjoying peace together", which was closely related to his generous, tolerant and courteous personality. He successfully mediated the disputes and conflicts between Siam and Malacca and defused the conflicts between Annan and Champa, demonstrating the tolerant spirit of the Chinese people as a big nation that loves and upholds peace.

　　Zheng He was over 60 years old when Emperor Xuanzong of the Ming Dynasty was determined to resume the voyage to the west. However, despite of his old age, he still cherished high aspirations and agreed readily to take on the mission and sailed off to the west. Unfortunately, that turned out to be his last but unfinished voyage---he died on the trip. Just imagine what a spectacular view it was with an old man in his sixties standing proudly at the bow commanding a fleet sailing on the vast sea. And what a stirring scene it presented when the favorite of the sea eventually returned to the embrace of the vast sea in the interests of his country's and people's prosperity and glory.

　　By Meng Zhaocheng

　　(July 19, PLA Daily)