Publications

International Zheng He Society Newsletters

Thus far only three issues of our Society’s newsletter have been published. The first was an unofficial one as we had no publication permit then. The latest one issued in May 2005 can be read from the pdf file.

Zheng He Epic or Zheng He Si Shi ( 郑和史诗 )

is a massive coffee table book (384 pages) with numerous pictorials showing authentic photos of actual historical sites, artifacts, documents and painting/drawings of historical figures and scenes related to Zheng He. The book (in Chinese) was published by in May 2005 jointly by Yunnan People’s Publishing Co., Yunnan Fine Arts Publishers and Aurora Publishing Co. and was supported by our Society and Drs Tan Ta Sen personally. The book traces the personal history and exploits of Zheng He and his ancestors who were Muslims who emigrated to China at least a century before the birth of Zheng He. His grandfather, Ma Haji, and father were both high officials of the Yuan Dynasty. There are details of his birthplace in Kunming, Yunnan, and Nanjing where he served as a high official in the employ of Prince including details of the ships and shipyards. This is followed by highly interesting accounts of each of his seven voyages including his activities and contributions to countries that he visited as well as the present religious sites and relics in these places. There are also accounts of his devotion to Mazu, the Goddess of the Sea. Also, there are essays on Zheng He by a number of well-known Chinese scholars that reflect a diversity of views. The society is in the process of publishing an English version of the book under the title The Zheng He Epic under the chief editorship of Drs Tan Ta Sen and Dr Chia Lin Sien. The book is expected to be out by February 2006.

The book is offered to members at S$100/- per copy which is about half the price in the bookshops.

Cheng Ho and Malacca Publisher: International Zheng He Society distributed by Cheng Ho Cultural Museum

Cheng Ho and Malacca

by Tan Ta Sen, published by International Zheng He Society and distributed by Cheng Ho Cultural Museum, September 2005 (in English and Chinese)

The book is intended to serve as an introduction to those interested in Zheng He or better known locally as Cheng Ho and focused on his association with Melaka (Malacca), Malaysia. The book is divided into five chapters: (1) Cheng Ho’s seven grand expeditions to Western Ocean, (2) Cheng Ho and Melaka, (3) Fifteenth-centry Melaka, (4) Pahang, Kelantan, Trengganu and Johore, and (5) Maritime Ceramics Route. There are description of Zheng He’s treasure ships and navigational and communications technology used on the voyages, maps and details of the places visited in the first chapter. The second chapter contains fascinating accounts of the establishment of the Sultanate of Melaka, the most powerful kingdom in the history of Malaysia; details of the ruler, Parameswara and his exploits; the establishment of Zheng He’s headquarters including the official warehouse (guan chang 官厂 )in Malacca and the association between the Ming Imperial Court and Parameswara. Details of the site, relics and artifacts including a stone well head discovered in the premises of the shophouses which were the residence of one of Zheng He’s senior officials on the voyages, Kapitan Li Chun Chang ( 李春长 ) . There is a short section on the Cheng Ho Cultural Museum which was, at the time of writing, still under construction. It is now opened to the public [see . The following two chapters give interesting details of 15 th Century Melaka and Pahang, Trengganu and Johor, respectively. The final chapter deals with shipwrecks in Malaysian waters, the cargo carried including silk, tea and ceramics. [price: S$10/- per copy for both English and Chinese edition]

A Pictorial Biography of Zheng He – The Great Navigator and Diplomat

edited by Mo Zi, script by Kong Lingren and drawings by Zhao Zhihua, published by Aurora Publishing House, Kunming, July 2005 (in English and Chinese).

This is a beautifully illustrated book intended for children and serves as an excellent introduction to Zheng He, the navigator and diplomat for the Ming Imperial Court. The early part of the book deals with young Ma He and his father and grandfather followed by his capture by the Ming troops and his subsequent service under Prince of Yan who later became Emperor Zhudi （朱棣）whose Imperial title was Emperor Yongle ( 永乐). For his illustrious service to the Emperor, Ma He was given the surname, Zheng and conferred him the Grand Eunuch of the Interior Department. The main body of the book is devoted to Zheng He’s seven voyages to the Western Ocean ( 西洋), the treasure ships ( 宝船) and many of the over thirty countries/sites visited by his fleet. The book is interesting because the places visited, when translated into modern place names, relate to countries and cities/towns across Southeast Asia, the Indian subcontinent, and the east coast of Africa are familiar o readers.

Price S$10 per copy for members

Admiral Zheng He and Southeast Asia

edited by Leo Suryadinata, jointly issued by Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS) and International Zheng He Society, Singapore, 2005.

The book commemorates the 600th anniversary of Admiral Zheng He’s maiden voyage to Southeast Asia and beyond and is a compilation of articles published over the period 1964 – 2005 by Asian scholars – Chung Chee Kit, Hsu Yun-Ts’iao, Leo Suryadinata, Tan Ta Sen, Tan Yeok Seong, Wang Gungwu and Johannes Widodo. It examines the relationship of the Ming court with Southeast Asia in general and the Malacca Empire in particularly during the 15 th Century. It also looks at the socio-cultural impact of Zheng He’s visits to Southeast Asian countries with special reference to the role played by the Admiral in the Islamisation of Indonesia (Java) as well as the architectural styles of the region.

The articles are grouped into three clusters. The first cluster of three articles examines the relationship of the Ming court, especially during the Zheng He expeditions, with Southeast Asia in general and the Malacca Empire in particular. The next cluster looks at the socio-cultural impact of the Zheng He expeditions on some Southeast Asian countries, with special reference to the role played by Zheng He in the Islamization of Indonesia (Java) and the urban architecture of the region. The last three articles deal with the route of the Zheng He expeditions and the location of the places that were visited.

Price: Hard cover S$29.90/US$19.90. Available to members at S$20.00

The Chinese edition of the book with the same title, published by the International Zheng He Society in the same year differs somewhat in that the selection of articles are not exactly the same as in the English edition.

Price: S$10/- per copy.

1421– The Year China Discovered the World

by Gavin Menzies, Bantam Books published by Transworld Publishers, 2002, 650 pp.

This book has been an international bestseller and has been translated into more than 20 languages including Bahasa, Chinese (traditional and simplified), Japanese, Korean, and Thai. The author has given talks in Singapore under the auspices of our Society. He was a retired British submarine commander and spent 15 years researching on the voyages of Zheng He. His accounts go well beyond the east coast of Africa asserting that Zheng He’s fleet or sub-fleets visited the Azores, then to both North and South America and sailed through the northern waters (now ice bound) of the Euro-Asian continent. His sub-fleets also visited Europe and Australia and New Zealand. There are fascinating details of old maps purportedly drawn by the Chinese and used by European explorers, evidence of Chinese visitors including Chinese chickens, Chinese junks, artifacts and other relics, and evidence of Chinese components of the DNAs of native Americans and others. The book made a huge impact on world awareness of the capabilities of Ming and earlier Chinese ships and navigational skills. Nevertheless, it remains highly controversial unless concrete proof such as future discoveries of the ‘lost’ records of Zheng He’s voyages or archaeological finds of Chinese junks and relics in areas not considered to have been visited by Zheng He’s ships by established Chinese scholars. It is an eminently worthwhile book, easily readable and rich in details of Zheng He’s ships and voyages. For updates and more information, please visit Gavin Menzies’ website www.1421.tv