Joseph Kahn, New York Times, Walla News!
A stamp commemorating Chang. "The Chinese style of peaceful development has been welcomed in the world," says an expert
Nanjing. In July 1405, almost 100 years before Columbus' voyage, Chang Ho, a Chinese eunuch, commanded the world's largest naval expedition up to that time; All three ships led by Columbus could fit inside one ship in Chang's fleet. The great maritime merchant passed along the entire coast of Southeast Asia, circumnavigated India, explored the Middle East and reached the west coast of Africa. And yet, most of the historical documentation about Chang has disappeared, and his stories have become a footnote in the history of the Chinese Empire - until now.
Today, on the 600th anniversary of his first voyage, Chang's story takes a turn, and his legacy will be polished to give China a new image on the world stage. Books were published and programs broadcast; Reconstructions of Chang's ship as well as a new museum - costing up to 50 million dollars - were built in Beijing. All, to promote Chang's image as a maritime cultural ambassador of a powerful but peace-seeking country. Officials in the Chinese government even adopted the theory, which has not been proven, that one of his ships sank near an island near today's Kenya. The authorities claim that the survivors of the ship swam to shore, married local women and created Chinese-African families - which were finally reunited in China, the mother country.
And the message that the Chinese authorities want to convey? That Chang Hu was the first step towards the rise of China in the 21st century as a world power, which is similar but different from historical world powers such as Spain, Great Britain, France, Germany, Japan and of course - the USA. "At the peak of the Ming Dynasty, China did not seek hegemony" , the expert Wan Ming believes. "Today, our power is rising again, and the Chinese style of peaceful development has been welcomed all over the world." The Chinese hope to signal to their people that they are recapturing the glory of the past. At the same time, they are signaling to the rest of the world that China can be strong - and not threatening - at the same time. Unlike the Spaniards, they say in China, Chang did not attack the nations he discovered.
In his travels at the beginning of the 15th century, Chang used to give gifts from the emperor to leaders in foreign ports, and in return he received gifts from them that he passed on to the emperor. However, in the end, the emperor decided to stop the sea voyages, among other things due to their heavy price. For officials in the current Chinese government, the sudden end of China's naval ambitions 600 years ago suggests otherwise: China is a benevolent giant with no interest in colonialism. According to China's state television last week, Chang Hu represents China's commitment to "good neighborliness, coexistence and scientific navigation."
However, the use of insufficiently documented history for modern propaganda purposes has caused conflict even in China. Some scholars have publicly criticized the Chang campaign as fraudulent. According to them, Chang treated foreigners as barbarians, and most foreign countries as enslaved countries. Some experts believe that his journey was an unnecessary tribute to a mad emperor.
Either way, Chang Ho's name reverberates throughout Asia, for better or for worse. For the first time since its last voyage in 1433, China is aiming to become a major naval power: Beijing has upgraded its fleet with Russian-made missile ships, diesel submarines and a nuclear submarine that will carry internationally made ballistic missiles. Also, according to conflicting reports in the country's media, China has toyed with the idea of building an aircraft carrier.
Doubling the defense budget has helped China become one of the largest military forces in the world, although it still lags significantly behind the US. China states that overall it intends to defend itself, but many doubt this. One of them was the US Secretary of Defense , Donald Rumsfeld, during his visit to Singapore in June: "Since no country threatens China," said Rumsfeld, "one can only wonder: why the increasing investment in weapons?"
Chang Ho
China is celebrating these days the 600th anniversary of the first voyage of the sailor Chang Hu. After years in which his story was hidden, Beijing is now seeking to prove that Chang's journey was a first step towards China becoming a superpower. According to the Communist Party, unlike Spain, China did not try to conquer the nations it discovered, and maintained trade relations with them. According to the authorities, Chang's journey represents values that China has championed since time immemorial: "coexistence and good neighborliness"
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