From Asia Times: On Saturday, Chinese President Hu Jintao’s whirlwind visit to eight African countries in 12 days will come to an end, marking a bold new foray into the “Dark Continent”. Six centuries ago, another Chinese dignitary touched on the shores of Africa; he returned to Beijing with a giraffe, an exotic gift no […]
Read MoreFrom The Independent: A Mongolian Muslim who was castrated as a boy became one of the most intrepid explorers in history. As China prepares to celebrate the 600th anniversary of his first voyage, Clifford Coonan in Beijing tells the extraordinary story of Admiral Zheng He. [Full text] Read more about Zheng He.
Read MoreFrom The Australian (link): On Friday evening, the University of Melbourne intends to give its imprimatur to history of the most fanciful kind. It is precisely the wrong way to put Australian history on the map. And indeed, it is the historical mapping of Australia that is at stake. Throughout 2006, geographers, cartographers and historians […]
Read MoreFrom The Economist: THE brave seamen whose great voyages of exploration opened up the world are iconic figures in European history. Columbus found the New World in 1492; Dias discovered the Cape of Good Hope in 1488; and Magellan set off to circumnavigate the world in 1519. However, there is one difficulty with this confident […]
Read MoreFrom Le Monde Diplomatique: China is celebrating the 600th anniversary of the amazing voyages of Admiral Zheng He, as great a navigator as Captain Cook or Columbus, and of his contribution to Chinese curiosity about the world.
Read MoreFrom the International Herald Tribune: In a world gripped by the rise of China, it is not surprising that the exploits of a Chinese Muslim eunuch whose armada of ships ranged as far as the coast of Africa 600 ago draws attention. But for millions of ethnic Chinese living in Southeast Asia, the anniversary this […]
Read MoreFrom YaleGlobal: Six centuries ago, Chinese Admiral Zheng He embarked on the first voyage of a career that encompassed destinations as far as India, Persia, Arabia, and Africa. Though his achievements were forgotten for centuries, a re-emergence of interest in his story coincides with China’s dramatic rise. As historian Wang Gungwu notes, it also coincides […]
Read MoreFrom the Weekend Standard: ‘There would be no Bruce Lee and no David Beckham,” said the old lady. “If it weren’t for Zheng He, you wouldn’t have our kung fu and we wouldn’t have your football.” Well, maybe. And maybe it wouldn’t matter all that much. Still, the old woman speaking at a Shanghai celebration […]
Read MoreFrom The New York Times: NANJING, China, July 17 – The captivating tale of Zheng He, a Chinese eunuch who explored the Pacific and Indian Oceans with a mighty armada almost a century before Columbus discovered America, has long languished as a tantalizing footnote in China’s imperial history. Zheng He (pronounced jung huh) fell into […]
Read MoreFrom The Telegraph: China is rewriting history to play down the martial past of its most famous seafarer, a maritime hero said to be the original Sinbad the Sailor. Zheng He sailed the Indian Ocean with huge warships and armies as far as Africa. According to one recent book, he also discovered America and Australia. […]
Read More
Click on the image to download Firefly for circumvention
CDT is a non-profit media site, and we need your support. Your contribution will help us provide more translations, breaking news, and other content you love.
