[Opinion] “Zheng He” Tempest Blows In China

On July 10 in Nanjing there was a commemorative ceremony joined by about 1,000 Chinese PLAN sailors on the destroyer Zheng He. The ceremony was held to mark the beginning of a one-year celebration of the 600th anniversary of Zheng He’s grand western voyage in the early Ming dynasty. On June 9 in Taicang, Jiangsu, a replica of his treasure junk set off on a silk road expedition by sea. To mark the 600th anniversary next year, the Chinese government will host an international maritime expo, special TV programs, seminars and exhibits.

Zheng He, a Muslim eunuch from Yunnan province, was the founding chief of Meng’s hated secret police organization. He greatly contributed the seizure of power by Zhu Di, who ousted his own nephew Zhu Yunwen. In 1405-33, Zheng made seven voyages to East Asia, India, Persia and Africa, where he gave local rulers porcelains and silk, and the grace of the Emperor. In “1421, The Year China Discovered America,” Gavin Menzies, a retired British naval officer, said that Zheng discovered America 71 years earlier than Columbus, and that he traveled the strait later known as the Strait of Magellan near the South Pole 98 years ahead of Magellan himself.

“Instead of occupying a single piece of land, building a fort or seizing treasure, Zheng He treated other countries with friendship despite the fact that he had the strongest fleet of the world," said Xu Zuyuan, a deputy minister of communications. "We think the legacy of Zheng He`s seven voyages to the West is relevant to “Peaceful Rising,’ China’s new diplomatic policy.” In a recent show of its self confidence and rising national might, China has scrapped its old diplomatic guideline of “Hiding Talent and Waiting for an Opportunity” supported by Deng Xiaoping, and has put forward a new set of diplomatic guidelines based on the peaceful rise of China.

However, the international community sees the new guidelines as a declaration of the birth of a superpower. Regarding Zheng, many see him as the standard bearer of Chinese nationalism because he demanded tributes for the emperor in return for his gifts. China is imbued with nationalism since its successful launching last year of a manned spacecraft. Following its distortion of the history of Korea’s ancient Gogyreo dynasty, the Zheng He tempest could be the prelude to China’s attempt at reforming world history according to its nationalist ideology.

Beijing= Hwang Yu-sung correspondent yshwnag@donga.com