Expo honoring ancient Chinese navigator opens in Shanghai
(crienglish.com)
Updated: 2005-07-08 18:53

An international maritime expo opened in Shanghai Friday to mark the 600th anniversary of voyages by Chinese seafaring hero Zheng He.

An international maritime expo opened in Shanghai Friday to mark the 600th anniversary of voyages by ancient Chinese seafaring hero Zheng He in the 15th century.

The expo exhibits seven voyages by Zheng He and the history of China's seafaring at the Shanghai Exhibition Center.

The expo also showcases the achievements China and other countries have made in navigation, shipbuilding, maritime affairs and construction of harbors.

Zheng's fleet, comprising more than 300 ships and manned by about 27,000 sailors, a number unrivaled in the world at that time, visited more than 30 countries and regions in Asia and Africa between 1405 and 1433.

Zheng is believed to be the first man to blaze a direct sea route linking the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. His voyage is recorded 87 years earlier than Columbus' discovery of America and 114 years earlier than Magellan's round-the-world voyage.

July 11 marks the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's voyages. A series of events have been planned to mark the occasion.

(photo source: sina.com)

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