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Zheng He's legacy promotes ethnic harmony
Indonesians of Chinese origin living in Central Java, Yogyat, Bali and East
Java are keen to promote their ancestral links with Zheng
He and the legacy the mariner left on this country.
Six centuries ago the devout Muslim commander of China's unrivalled treasure
fleets sailed the seas, trading and exploring.
Today that legacy lives on and is evidenced in various handicrafts, religious
customs and, more practically, commercial ideas.
Semarang, the capital city of Central Java Province, is renowned for the Sam
Poo Kong Temple,
where Zheng He once meditated during a visit by his fleet.
Nowadays it draws some 100 pilgrims a day, including ethnic Chinese
Indonesians and the indigenous people.
"They come to ask Zheng He to protect them," said Li Botu, chairman of the
Commemoration Organization for the 600th Anniversary of Zheng He's Ocean
Navigation. The temple, he adds, has helped both ethnic groups learn more about
the other and promoted ties between them.
The local government and those engaged in commerce, have raised 4 billion
rupiahs (about US$500,000) to commemorate Zheng He's first voyage in 1405.
The money will pay for seminars on Zheng He's contribution, a photographic
exhibition of the routes he navigated, the establishment of a new Zheng He
Temple, as well as performances by various artists.
Officials from China's Fujian
Province, with which Semarang is twinned, are considering paying a visit to
the city of 2.5 million inhabitants, 15 per cent of whom are ethnic Chinese,
said Li.
In Yogyat, what the two ethnic groups share is not a temple, but wells.
Legend has it Zheng He and members of his fleet taught local people how to dig
water wells. Years on, the wells acquired mystical qualities. People thought
that the water from them could heal, drive away evil spirits and ensure safety.
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Emissary