Indonesian historians hail Zheng He's navigation

Muljana said that after Zheng landed in Semarang in 1413 in order to repair his ship, he prayed daily at a place, which was later called as Sam Poo Kong. Oei Thiam Hien, a caretaker at the Zheng He Temple in Semarang, was quoted by local media as saying that the Sam Poo Kong was thought to have originally been a mosque,but later it was turned into a temple named after Zheng himself.

Inside the temple is a well that is believed to have the power to bring good luck and prosperity to suppliants. For years, peoplefrom different religions have prayed at Sam Poo Kong for prosperity and health.

"The number of people praying here can reach dozens on Thursdaynight or Monday night," said Sajiran, a caretaker at the temple.

The 600th anniversary of Zheng's arrival in Semarang will be grandly celebrated in August, and the opening of new Zheng He Temple was just part of the celebrations.

"We also put up a relief of Zheng's journey that we received from Shanghai University 18 months ago," said Priambudi, who oversaw the temple's renovation.

The committee in charge of the celebrations has brought in 2,900 small Chinese paper lanterns and 400 bigger lanterns that willbe sold to the public. It also built a smaller replica of Zheng'sship for display during the celebrations.

Editor: Jessie