A bronze statue of Zheng He, the ancient Chinese seafaring hero who lived in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), is inaugurated at a ceremony in Quanzhou City of southeast China's Fujian Province July 11, 2005. A series of activities have been held lately to mark the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's Voyages to the West. On July 11, 1405, Zheng He and his fleet left for his first seafaring tour. Zheng's fleet, comprising more than 300 ships and manned by about 27,000 sailors, visited more than 30 countries and regions in Asia and Africa in seven voyages between 1405 and 1433. Zheng is believed the first man to blaze a direct sea route linking the Western Pacific and the Indian Ocean. His voyage was recorded 87 years earlier than Columbus' discovery of the America and 114 years earlier than Magellan's round-the-world voyage.
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