Singapore will hold a variety of celebrations from June to August to mark the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's maiden voyage, announced the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) on Wednesday.

A Zheng He festive village of 8,000 square meters will be set up at the Marina Promenade to showcase a series of pavilions representing different ports of call in Zheng's seven voyages as well as the culture and traditions of these countries.

The Singapore Mint has launched a series of commemorative coins featuring Zheng's portrait and his treasure boat earlier this year,while the Singapore Post will release a stamp issue on June 28.

Other festivities include a musical named "The Admiral's Odyssey," the Zheng He and Maritime Asia Exhibition, a conference themed "Maritime Asia and the Chinese Overseas (1405 -2005)," as well as the launch of a Zheng He travel book.

The STB expects to attract 250,000 visitors to these celebrations for Zheng He, an ancient Chinese admiral who led a fleet of 300 ships and 28,000 men to explore the world in the 15th century.

Source: Xinhua