Exhibition Hall of Zheng He's Historical Relics

In the center of downtown Changle City of East China's Fujian Province lie Zheng He Park and the Exhibition Hall of Zheng He's Historical Relics, originally known as "Southern Hill Park," (which was first built in 1088 during the Song Dynasty (960-1279)). There is a pagoda that was built during the Song Dynasty but which still stands like a towering giant.

In 1412, prior to Zheng He's fourth voyage to the western seas, the pagoda was repaired and renamed "Three-Peak Pagoda." At the same time, a palace was built in front of the pagoda, which was the venue for offering prayers and thanks to gods.

In 1985, in honor of the 580th anniversary of Zheng He's first voyage to the western seas, Changle's local government decided to establish an exhibition hall of Zheng He's historical relics on the palace's site, and changed the park's name to "Zheng He Park."

There is a horizontal inscribed board with golden inscriptions over the exhibition hall's gate, and the scene of Zheng He's voyage to the western sea is drawn on the big screen inside the hall. In the middle of the hall stands a bust that is over one meter in height.

"The Monument to Zheng He", a precious relic displayed in the exhibition hall, was erected in 1431 before Zheng He made his seventh voyage to the western seas. The inscription on the stele, totaling 1,177 characters, recorded in detail the process of Zheng He's sixth voyage to the western seas and the tasks to be achieved during the seventh one.

The inscription is an important historical material for research on the history of overseas communication history as well as the history of Sino-foreign exchanges during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).

Inside the spacious hall, Zheng He's historical relics are exhibited in four parts -- "Prelude," "Historical Background of Zheng He's Voyages to the Western Seas," "Zheng He's Voyages, with Fujian as the Navigation Base," and "Great Achievements and Profound Impacts."

Duplicates of bronze bells, precious ships, navigation charts, and other relics as well as pictures are among the exhibited items. There are also many books, including, "In Commemoration of Zheng He's Voyages to the Western Seas," written by Xiang Nan, and "Zheng He and Fujian," which came out after the academic forum held during the 580th anniversary, and so on.

On the second floor, many calligraphic works by famous calligraphers are on exhibition.