Chinese Reporter's Zheng He Odyssey Ends

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, July 24, 2002

Chinese Reporter's Zheng He Odyssey Ends

A Chinese reporter has completed her two-year journey following the wake of world-famous Chinese navigator Zheng He (1371-1435).

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A Chinese reporter has completed her two-year journey following the wake of world-famous Chinese navigator Zheng He (1371-1435).

Fan Chunge works for a local newspaper in central China's WuhanCity. She admires Zheng so much that she set out in July of 2000 from Liujiagang at the Yangtse River Mouth, where Zheng weighed anchor 500 years ago.

Zheng He, a navigator of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), led seven great naval voyages between 1405 and 1433 into southeast Asia, India, Persia, Arabia and Africa. His voyages indicated China's impressive naval power of the day, and he initiated or reaffirmed contacts with some 30 countries.

Zheng's voyages, about one century before Columbus' famous journey, were the peak of historical Chinese ocean exploration.

During the two years, Fan visited 18 Asian and African countries. Her first-hand and detailed series of reports, which were syndicated in many newspapers in China, replenished the historical records and created wide interest at home and abroad.

Among her achievements, Fan found a descendant of Zheng He in Cambodia. She also discovered an anchor said to have been left by Zheng in Indonesia. She brought back shards of porcelain made in the Ming Dynasty from the east coast of Africa, and copied an ancient navigation map in South Africa.

Fan was praised by envoys and government ministers from more than 10 countries for her efforts to explore history and strengthen ties between China and other countries she visited.

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