Re-enactment of Zheng He’s Malacca voyage

BY JANE RITIKOS, The Star

MALACCA: Admiral Zheng He’s voyage to Malacca in 1405 will be re-enacted to commemorate the 600th anniversary of the state’s ties with China.

A replica of the vessel used in the voyage, which brought Princess Hang Li Po to Malacca for presentation to Sultan Mansor Shah to be his wife, would be built for the purpose.

Chief Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Ali Rustam said that two parties in China had voiced interest in building the replica for the “expedition of friendship.”

“I will follow up with the Chinese Ambassador in Kuala Lumpur on the plan by a Chinese film star to build the replica to commemorate the significant journey that resulted in the settlement of the Chinese in Malacca,” he told reporters after the weekly state exco meeting here yesterday.

He said the symbolic journey could be from China or, perhaps, from Muar (in Johor).

The Jiangsu provincial government, it is learnt, had also voiced interest in sailing a replica of Zheng He’s vessel to commemorate the event.

Mohd Ali said the state was also planning to build a replica of the ship used by Sultan Mansor Shah for his journey to China.

Zheng He made his voyage in July 1405 and the expedition to retrace his journey from China may also be in July.

Mohd Ali said the actual 600th anniversary of Malacca-China ties would fall in 2005 but a year-long celebration of the event would start next year.

It would coincide with the 30th anniversary of the establishment of Malaysia’s official ties with China after Tun Abdul Razak, the country’s second Prime Minister, made the first official visit to China in 1974.

The anniversary celebration, which is a national event, would be launched by the Culture, Arts and Tourism Ministry here on Jan 10 and run till May next year.

To mark the event, the Malacca government plans to bring in films from China on Zheng He’s journey for screening at a theatre here.