ADMIRAL CHENG HO AND HIS LEGACY IN SOUTHEAST ASIA

Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He), the Chinese-Muslim explorer from the Ming Dynasty 

Historical texts indicate that Ming dynasty’s explorer, Admiral Cheng Ho (Zheng He) has made 5 voyages to Malacca out of his 7 voyages of exploration.

The 7 Voyages of Admiral Cheng Ho

Order	Time	Regions along the way
1st Voyage	1405–1407	Champa, Java, Palembang, Malacca, Aru, Samudera, Lambri, Ceylon, Kollam, Cochin, Calicut
2nd Voyage	1407–1409	Champa, Java, Siam, Cochin, Ceylon
3rd Voyage	1409–1411	Champa, Java, Malacca, Sumatra, Ceylon, Quilon, Cochin, Calicut, Siam, Lambri, Kayal, Coimbatore, Puttanpur
4th Voyage	1413–1415	Champa, Java, Palembang, Malacca, Sumatra, Ceylon, Cochin, Calicut, Kayal, Pahang, Kelantan, Aru, Lambri, Hormuz, Maldives, Mogadishu, Barawa, Malindi, Aden, Muscat, Dhofar
5th Voyage	1416–1419	Champa, Pahang, Java, Malacca, Samudera, Lambri, Ceylon, Sharwayn, Cochin, Calicut, Hormuz, Maldives, Mogadishu, Barawa, Malindi, Aden
6th Voyage	1421–1422	Hormuz, East Africa, countries of the Arabian Peninsula
7th Voyage	1430–1433	Champa, Java, Palembang, Malacca, Sumatra, Ceylon, Calicut, Hormuz. (17 states)

(Source: Zheng He - Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia)

Among the many stories of his famous voyages (as recorded Ma Huan, a translator for the Admiral who accompanied him along the way) was a mission to bring one of the Emperor of China’s daughter, Princess Hang Li Po to marry the Sultan of Malacca. It was believed by some scholars that the wedding entourage of handmaidens and minister’s sons that followed during this act of diplomacy between Ming China and the Malaccan Sultanate, contributed to the Baba and Nonya culture. The Mainland Chinese who arrived in Southeast Asia, inter-married with the locals and culturally adapted their Southeast Asian lifestyles. The Peranankan culture remains evident till this very day in Malacca, Penang and Singapore.

An early photograph of Nonya women in Malacca

EXERCISE

Look at the above photograph which was taken from a Peranakan wedding in the 20th Century. What distinctive cultural features indicate to you that adaptation has taken place?

ALONG THE SILK ROAD

The Silk Road - Goods traded along the Silk Road [click on the picture to see the full-sized version] (above)

The Silk Road is an ancient network of trading routes linking the western world to China.  The name was derived from the lucrative Chinese silk trade that took place during that time. Traders from the west travelled 6,500 kilometres to China just to trade in silk. Silk fabrics could only be found in China at that time, as it was invented by the Chinese. Its production was a closely guarded secret for thousands of years, and it was an important source of income for the Chinese people. Apart from the trading of silk, there were other luxury goods such as satin, perfumes, spices, medicines, jewels and glassware that were being traded along the way as well (see map above).

Besides trade, the Silk Road has also provided a channel for the spread of knowledge, cultures, and ideas. The different religious practices of the people living along these routes today are indicators of how contact and interaction had taken place during the ancient times. Buddhism and Islam are the most significant religions found along the Silk Road. This is evident from the many archaeological sites of Buddhist and Islamic places of worship found along the way.

Near the city of Dunhuang in the Gobi-desert (one of the many rest stops for traders), there are many Buddhist carvings and painting found in the cave-monasteries. These artefacts are well preserved and dates all the way back to the Han dynasty period (206BCE – 220CE) in China.



Mogao Caves - Dunhuang cave-monastery with many well-preserved Buddhist art. (above)



Also scattered throughout the small town of Turpan (another key city) near the Chinese-Muslim Xinjiang region in China, are the remains of ancient Islamic mosques which are still standing today.

Sulaiman Mineret - built during the Qing dynasty (1736CE – 11795CE). Dome at the top is a common style in Islamic architecture even till today. This is the oldest surviving Islamic structure in China. (above)

EXERCISE

Exchange of ideas between cultures and civilisations occur when people of different countries come into contact with one another. In the past, contact and interaction between people of different civilisations occurred through direct physical contact such as wars, conquests, diplomacy and trade.

Describe some ways in which contact and interaction has occurred in modern Singapore? What evidence are there to show that contact and interaction has taken place in our society?