Sunday, October 11, 2009

Admiral Zheng-He's voyages - 600th Anniv.

Date of Issue: June 28, 2005
Scott #: Stamps - 3438 a - c
Souvenir sheet - 3439

600 years ago the first long voyage of the Chinese admiral Zheng He began.

Between 1405 and 1431, he conducted seven voyages to the Pacific, to the Indian ocean and to the Persian Gulf. It is supposed that he also reached America. Celebrating these voyages a lot of different stamps regarding Zheng He and his armada were issued by China, Singapore, Macau, Indonesia, and Marshall Islands.

Before the start of his last voyage. Zheng He had a premonition and ordered to build a pillar with the following inscription: "We sailed more than 100,000 Li (approx. 50,000 kilometers) over enormous waters and saw enormous waves, which piled up like mountains touching the sky and we discovered barbarian lands far away, hidden in fine, blue-shimmering fogs, while our sails filled up like clouds day and night".

Click here to see 580th anniv. stamps of Zheng-He by China.

Thanks to Ms. Jia Caixu, China for this stamp set.

Source: shipsonstamps.org

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