July 11 marks the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's maritime expeditions, a day that will become China's Navigation Day starting from this year with the approval of the State Council. His voyages take place 87 years earlier than Christopher Columbus' discovery of America, 83 years than Bartolomeu Dias' finding of the Cape of Good Hope and 116 years than Ferdinand Magellan's voyage reaching the Philippines. So it can be said that Zheng He is the earliest navigator in the world history. What is the significance for commemorating such an important historical event today? It should be a vital aspect to draw the excellent spiritual force from the ancients.

Experts say the spirit of Zheng He is embodied in the following three facets: an open and liberal mind, pioneering and innovative courage, and the national spirit of self-reliance and unremitting efforts. Carrying forward Zheng He's spirit can offer a driving force to China's current national rise efforts and enrich the content of national rejuvenation.

China, for the most part, is a land-locked country, which left it tending to focus on the land much more than on the ocean. Zheng He's contribution not only lies in his spread of the Chinese "land civilization'', but also in the fact that he opened a new era and offered precious experience to the take-off of the "maritime civilization''. It can help us understand the world more soberly and try hard to integrate with the world, if we study Zheng He's expeditions from a global perspective, examine them with a scientific spirit and treat them as a heritage of the whole mankind.

The 21st century is an ocean epoch. Ocean thinking and conception signifies openness and civilization, means advance and progress as well as take-off. Accordingly, one of the modern revelations of Zheng He's spirit is that we should march forward along the path of reform and opening-up and open a brand-new road of peaceful development by observing the world with a broad view of the "maritime civilization'' and embracing the world with a "maritime civilization'' heart.

As a pioneer navigator in the world, Zheng He improved China's shipbuilding and navigation technologies to a height unparallel in his time and in the "great era of navigation'' nearly 100 years later.

The fleet commanded by Zheng He was large in scale, perfect in function and strict in organization. The Sailing Charts of Zheng He reflects the achievements of voyage techniques. All these have embodied the Zheng He's brave exploration and pioneering spirit.

The second revelation is that national resurgence can only be achieved by depending on every Chinese spirit of pioneer and progress, which can make our huge ship of our time sail ahead of the world.

Zheng He made a total of seven epic voyages in 28 years from 1405 (on), spanning more than 30 countries and regions in Asia and Africa, including the Red Sea and the eastern coast of Africa. He was more 60 years old when he made his final sailing and died on the sea.

The tenacious will of Zheng He shows the national spirit of fearing no hardships and risks, perseverance and making unremitting efforts, which is the precious spiritual wealth for making our country strong.

The third revelation is that we should take the national spirit of self-reliance as a continuous driving force of patriotism and make selfless contributions to the nation.

Zheng He led the ancient world history and the friendly exchanges among different nations, setting a shining example of the history of the exchanges of human civilization. Now we are once more situated in a critical turning point in history. How do we learn from the spirit of Zheng He is not only a question worth deep thought, but also one that needs us to put into practice.

By People's Daily Online