Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,
1. Louis Levathes' book 'When China Ruled The Seas' began the story of Zheng He's voyages with the coastal town of Malindi in present day Kenya. One day in1418, fishermen saw strange storm clouds on the horizon. Scrambling to safety, they dragged their boats to shore. After a while, it became clear that what they saw were not clouds at all but the serried sails of Zheng He's ships which stretched for miles across the ocean. Thus began a trading relationship between East Africa and Ming China. A famous Chinese painting showed a handsome giraffe from East Africa being presented to the Chinese Emperor.
2. Zheng He's epic voyages which began 600 years ago, almost to the day, left a deep impression on the historical consciousness of the peoples living in the coastal regions of what the Chinese called the Western Ocean. All over Southeast Asia today are to be found temples built in his honour. When I visited the Zheng He temple in Semarang, Central Java, the biggest Chinese temple in Indonesia, a few years ago, I was told that even during the darkest days of anti-Chinese policies in Indonesia, the temple was protected. President Suharto himself intervened to stop the open land in front of it from being developed. One quaint story told and retold is that the king of fruits, the durian, is but the fragrant excrement of this seven-foot tall Muslim Grand Eunuch.
3. The tribute missions which Zheng He's ships carried to China had a great influence on local political developments. Malacca, for example, was partly the creation of Ming foreign policy. The early Sultans of Malacca received Chinese protection from the Thais and the Javanese. This enabled Malacca to expand its influence and trading networks in the Malay archipelago. A Chinese pirate chief who operated in Palembang was captured by Zheng He. He intervened in a war between Hindu Tamils and Buddhist Singalese in Sri Lanka. The tomb of the third Sultan of Brunei who died while on a tribute mission to Nanjing is still well-kept today, complete with two rows of officials and animals including the mousedeer, flanking the approach.
4. But 600 years is a long time ago and it is rather surprising that the Ming voyages should capture the imagination of so many people around the world today. One reason could be the re-emergence of China. The Ming Dynasty was established in 1368. Thirty-seven years later, the first voyage began. The PRC was established in 1949. This is now its 56th year. In many ways, the re-emergence of China in the 21st century hearkens back to earlier dynastic ascents like the Tang and the Ming, bringing trade and prosperity all along the coast of Asia. Of course, a re-ascendant China was also a political factor which everyone had to take into account, as indeed is the case again today.
5. Another reason could be the 'what if?' question. If Ming China had not reversed policy some thirty years later and stopped the voyages, world history could have taken a different turning. By the time Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape of Good Hope and entered the Indian Ocean in 1498, China had already vacated its uncontested position in the Western Ocean for over half a century. Gavin Menzies' book '1421' has fired the public imagination further by its speculations about Zheng He's ships reaching the Americas and returning to China via the Pacific Ocean. Although it is unlikely that Chinese historians who were punctilious in their recording of dates, historical events and geographical places could have so completely ignored the voyages across the Atlantic and Pacific in their writings, Menzies has painted a fascinating and imaginative story of a journey that Zheng He and his fleet could well have been capable of undertaking, and has been able to ask more questions than present-day historians are able to answer.
6. An important reason for the current interest in Zheng He, which might also explain the interest in Menzies' theories, is the deep desire for peaceful globalisation in the world today. In sharp contrast to the methods of the Spanish and Portuguese conquistadors and the gunboat diplomacy of the Dutch and the British which followed, the Ming voyages were largely displays of soft rather than of hard power even though there were occasions when Zheng He resorted to force. Their primary purposes were to establish the legitimacy of the Emperor Yongle, the dominance of Ming power and trade, albeit under a Chinese tributary system. Ma Huan's official account of the voyages was in some ways a celebration of the diversity of peoples and cultures. In Sri Lanka, there is a granite stele erected by Zheng He which asked for the blessings of Buddha, Shiva and Allah in Chinese, Tamil and Persian respectively. The respect which the memory of Zheng He evokes in Southeast Asia till today came not by command but from his good works and the awe he inspired.
7. Anniversaries can be positive or negative. When I was in Belgrade in 1989 for a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement, all over the capital city of Yugoslavia were banners commemorating the 700th Anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo. In that battle, the Serbs fought heroically but lost eventually to the Turks. That commemoration marked the beginning of the end of Yugoslavia which no longer exists today. The brutal way the Serbs suppressed the Muslim inhabitants of Kosovo caused the country to break up along religious and ethnic lines. The 600th Anniversary of Zheng He's voyages is different. It should bring people together, not divide them. That's why we are celebrating it in a big way in Singapore.
8. All the seven voyages passed through the Straits of Singapore which has always been the world's busiest waterway. Located at the southernmost point of the Asian landmass, the great majority of ships which travel between the two oceans pass through our waters. Although Zheng He's ships did not stop in Singapore, they came very close. Most historians believe that the gate of the dragon's tooth (long ya men) in Ma Huan's account referred to Singapore. There was once in Singapore a large rock in what is today's Labrador Park which looked like a dragon's tooth. It was called Batu Belayar in Malay which meant the rock used for sailing or navigation, and had been known to users of the Straits for many hundreds of years according to the Free Press dated 17 August 1848. We still have a copy of an old painting of it. In 1848, the British blew it up to widen the gateway into the harbour channel. As part of the 600th anniversary celebration, the National Parks Board has built a replica of the old tooth on the same site and dedicated that part of Labrador Park as 'long ya men'.
9. Many other activities are being organised. This evening, we open the Festive Village. Next to it is an exhibition based on Menzies' book '1421'. A bigger exhibition on 'Zheng He and Asian Maritime History' will be opened at the new National Library Building in August. In the same month, there will be an 'International Conference of International Institutes and Libraries on Chinese Overseas' on the same subject. A travel book of the places Zheng He visited will come out next month. There are also commemorative coins and stamps. There is even a musical on the man.
10. The life and times of Zheng He have great meaning for us in Singapore today. The age of globalisation which created Singapore in 1819 and the new age of globalisation we are entering in the 21st century both have their resonances in the age the treasure ships sailed. Many of the countries Zheng He visited are countries we not only have good relations with, they are also countries which we either have negotiated or are negotiating free trade agreements with. We too pray for the blessings of Buddha, Shiva and Allah upon us, respecting, as Zheng He did, the different ways human beings relate to the Almighty.
11. I congratulate the many individuals, Singaporeans and non-Singaporeans, who have worked so hard in the last two years to bring us this wonderful, multi-faceted presentation of an incredible period in world history. It is now my great pleasure to launch the celebrations.
. . . .