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Farrukh Travels: To Discover Zheng He in Singapore*
In our Farrukh Travels series we will follow Farrukh Younus as he travels around the globe. Farrukh is a young British Muslim from a Pakistani background who has to travel a great deal in his work. In this monthly series Farrukh will share his adventures, cultural observations, and spiritual contemplations in his search for that which we share and that which is unique to each place and community. Whether it is the evidence of the DNA of modern Maori of New Zealand indicating that their forefathers married Waitaha (Chinese) girls in a period more than 70 years before Captain Cook; the use of vermillion powder in the paper money printed by the Yaun dynasty in China, the only source of which is the west coast of Central America; or even the mystery of the Newport tower in New England, evidence is mounting to show that the Chinese played a greater part in discovering the Xiyang (the Western world) than they have been given credit for. And who would have thought that much of this exploration was achieved under the rule of a Chinese Muslim admiral? Seventy years before Columbus discovered America, 350 years before Captain Cook discovered Australia, and 60 years before Magellan sailed the world, there was a Chinese Muslim admiral who did it all: Zheng He. So at least proposes Gavin Menzies, whose book 1421 has prompted the reassessment of certain history, part of which is featured in an exhibition on Zheng He that ran recently in Singapore. Zheng He was born Ma He in 1371 CE in Yunan province to a Muslim family whose family name was Ma reflecting the first syllable of Prophet Muhammads name. His family chose the name He as an _expression_ of their prayer to Allah for peace in the world, as they lived in a time of many wars. Both Ma Hes father and grandfather had performed pilgrimage to Makkah, and it is recorded that from a young age he, too, expressed the desire to go on pilgrimage. During one of the many battles of that time, the young Ma He was abducted, and then castrated by troops of the Ming dynasty, in the service of which he became a eunuch. Distinguishing himself from the other, illiterate, eunuchs, in 1392 Ma He assisted Zhu Di in the capture of a Mongol ruler in a bloodless battle. Through a series of subsequent battles, by 1403 Zhu Di became Emperor Yongle and rewarded his faithful subject with the title Imperial Eunuch, bestowing upon him a new name, Zheng He. Zheng He was instructed to lead expeditions into the Xiyang, the Western countries. Each journey took a fleet of 200 ships with 28,000 men. Visiting over 30 countries, he visited the rulers of various lands, presenting them with gifts, establishing diplomatic relations, initiating cultural exchanges, and forming trading relationships. The journeys of Zheng He are documented on a 21-foot-long linear map entitled Wu Bei Zhi. The map includes instructions for each voyage including detailed directions, star positions, latitudes, bearings, and the description of landmarks along the route.
Having listened from a young age to stories of his father and grandfathers pilgrimage to Makkah, Zheng He, commanding such a vast fleet, was fortunate to have followed in their footsteps. In Chinese the mosque of Makkah was referred to as Libaisi (meaning heaven). Makkah was described as having beautiful scenery and a mild climate. As a trading center it had abundant produce. The voyage to Makkah allowed them to purchase commodities and rare animals such lions and ostriches. In his book Describing Scenes of Foreign Lands, Zheng Hes translator Ma Huan eulogized the city with this remark: The people live harmoniously and there is no poverty. They strictly observe religious rules and very few crimes are committed. It can be called the happiest place on earth. In recent months a theory has developed suggesting that the famed character of The Thousand and One Nights, Sinbad the sailor, is in fact Zheng He. Part of his Chinese name, Ma Sanbao, translates to Arabic as Mahmoud Shams, where Sanbao is derived from Shams and translates to Sinbad. Zheng He died at the age of 62 in 1433 on the fleets return journey as they passed Calicut. Given the heat of the summer months, it was difficult to preserve his body for burial in China. Thus according to Islamic custom, he was buried at a seaport on Java island, where in his remembrance the place was renamed Semarang, meaning tomb of Sanbao. Another tomb containing a braid of his hair and his shoes is located at Niushou Hill in Nanjing, China, with many other memorial sites across the country. Celebrating the 600th anniversary of Zheng He, the exhibition in Singapore along the Marina promenade both covered the history of Zheng He and presented evidence to support the claim that the Chinese navigated the world many years before common history tells us.
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