Reviving the ancient Maritime Silk Road

Chinese navigator Zhai Mo. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Zhai's yacht had sailed around the world six times before he bought it from a foreign navigator three years ago. Its top speed is 7 knots, and the vessel has a capacity for 21 passengers. Designed by American David Pedrick, it is 18.3 meters long and 4.8 meter wide.

There will be at least three yachts in the sailing team, and each will have an experienced captain and three or four sailors.

"Zhai performs real deeds. His shabby sailboat was like a tractor, but he was able to circumnavigate the globe," says Yang Jinshi, 54, one of the captains.

Yang is in Sanya, Hainan province, maintaining Zhai's yacht. They have been preparing for the voyage for about a year and a half.

"It's exciting to have our five-star national flag flying over on the yacht in the foreign seas. We want to spread our passion toward sailing and unswerving spirit, and share the beautiful moment with other people," Yang says.

Zhai will also invite passengers from all over the world to experience a lap of the journey. "Anyone can join us - old or young, veterans or laymen. The more participants who join us, the more significant the voyage will be," Zhai says.

With a history of more than 2,100 years, the Maritime Silk Road extended to ports on the coast of India and Sri Lanka, and went all the way to Europe and the Red Sea. It fell into decline due to the ban on maritime activities in the Ming (1368-1644) and Qing (1644-1911) dynasties.

Zhai and his crew are like cultural ambassadors, raising the public's awareness of the old conduit for trade and cultural exchanges between China and foreign countries.