Peace, partnership and prosperity: Zheng He's legacy remembered

Admiral Zheng He's legacy is as vast as the oceans he once sailed in.

This year marks the 618th anniversary of the 15th-century Chinese explorer and diplomat's historic voyages, and his legacy is celebrated around the world for its profound impact on diplomacy, trade and cultural exchanges.

From 1405 to 1433, Zheng He embarked on seven epic voyages and commanded a fleet that consisted of colossal treasure ships, some of which were more than 100 meters long, a scale unrivaled in the world at that time, according to studies.

The fleet, manned by about 30,000 sailors, reached distant shores as far as Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, and even East Africa. He set off nearly a century before Christopher Columbus set foot in America.

The grand tour began on July 11, 1405, and this date has been dubbed China's Maritime Day.

"Zheng He led his fleet on peaceful missions, and he treated sovereigns of other lands with the utmost respect," Zhao Zhigang, the deputy secretary-general of the China Zheng He Research Association and a senior adviser of the International Zheng He Society in Singapore, told China Daily.

"That's a world away from the plundering that Western mariners engaged in."

In August, Indonesia held events to commemorate the admiral's arrival in Semarang city in Central Java Province. At Sam Poo Kong temple, devotees held a procession parading the explorer's statue.

Moreover, Semarang's name in Chinese — sanbaolong — originated from Zheng He's original name, Sanbao, illustrating the city's deep historical connection to the navigator.

Veronika Saraswati, a China relations expert at the Jakarta-based think tank Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said Zheng He's expeditions were not merely trade missions.

"Zheng He arrived in Semarang, Central Java, for the purpose of trade, but ended up staying for much more. … He began by spreading a new agriculture system and moved on to people-to-people exchanges like culture and language," she told China Global Television Network.