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"Envoy of Peace from China" Exhibition Tour Kicks Off in Kuala Lunpur
  Boeing 777-200LR named after Zheng He
Pilot of a Boeing 777-200LR named after Zheng He, a famous
ancient Chinese navigator, waves to well-wishers at the Capital International
Airport in Beijing June 28, 2005. To commemorate the 600th anniversary of Zheng
He's trips across the Indian Ocean, the plane started its global trip from
Canada in May and planned to travel to more than 20 cities across the world in
two months. Boeing 777-200LR can carry fly 17,445 kilometers in a single flight.
 Commemorative Exhibitions
The Nation Museum of China in downtown Beijing will hold a grand exhibition
between July 8 and October 7 to mark the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's first
expedition among seven believed to have been made between 1405 and 1433.
The exhibition displays 80 sets of artefacts and 190 photos. Exhibits include
an 11-metre long wooden model rudder the original was unearthed in 2003 at the
Ming Dynasty shipyard in Nanjing.
There are ancient silk sheets featuring
the patterns of dragons, and clouds and flowers, and a two-metre-high "Tianfei
Goddess" stone tablet, its inscriptions chronicling Zheng's first six voyages.
Divided into five parts, the exhibition reveals details of Zheng and his
followers' backgrounds, provides historical context, and outlines the seven
voyages and their historical and cultural influence on countries and regions
along the routes.
 Commemorative Events
The Exhibition of China's Nation Museum start a program of celebratory
activities elsewhere in Beijing, in Shanghai and the provinces of Guangdong,
Fujian, Jiangsu and Yunnan, according to Yao Mingde, an official at the Ministry
of Communications and the chief co-ordinator of the events.
On July 6, a grand celebratory event called Zheng He's Seagoing Day will be
held in Taicang of Jiangsu Province, where Zheng's fleet began their inaugural
expedition from Liujiagang Port.
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Emissary
