On the occasion of the 600th anniversary of Chinese sailor Chinese monument in Aden [Archives:2005/833/Last Page]
Aden Bureau
Six hundred years ago, Chinese sailors came on their ships to old Aden harbor that was located at that time in front of Seerah Mountain when Chinese were exploring the world in order to have benefits in the commercial field.
On this occasion, passing six hundred years, the Chinese government decided to establish a monument in Aden to immortalize the remembrance of those brave people who came from their remote country.
In an interview, Mr. Wu Chuanqing, Consulate General of the P. R. of China, said to the Yemen Times that the Chinese-Yemeni ties are not newly made, on the contrary they are very strong ties between the Chinese and Yemeni people and they are getting developed in an excellent manner in the various political, commercial, and cultural fields.
Confirming the deep friendly ties, the Chinese government, as he said, decided to build the monument that will be a touch of beauty and a tourist landmark in Aden. He pointed out that there is a number of Chinese companies have executed in this respect and the designs were prepared by a Chinese company.
He talked about the monument saying that it is a sailing boat signifying the historical relations between the two countries. It is 6 meters in height with a 2.6-meter base, 15 meters in length, and 800 square meters in size. It is build of cement and iron sails that are not subject to dust.
About the commercial exchange between the two countries, the counsel said that it is going on in a good way and there are a number of the Chinese companies that are working in Yemen especially in Aden. He explained that there are some Chinese investments and he appreciated the increase of the Chinese products in Yemen that proved their quality and attracted people's admiration.
He spoke about the agreements signed between Aden and Chung Hi that Dr. Yahya Al-Shuaibi, Aden's governor, has recently visited.
Zheng He's visits to Aden
Zheng He (1433- 1371) the father of sailors in the reign of the monarch family of Meng (1368- 1644). Obeying the order of the Chinese monarch court, Zheng He, heading a navy left China seven times to the Southern Asian countries and the coasts of Arab sea and Red Sea reaching to Kenya during the period between 1405 – 1433. in his seafaring journeys as the messenger of Chinese court, Zheng He visited more than 30 countries in Asia and Africa paving the way in the field of seafaring in Africa, and Arab countries cross over the Indian Ocean.
In his first journey, he headed a big navy formed of 208 ships with different sizes. In the following journeys, the number of ships in his navy exceeded 100 ships each time and the number of companions reached between 27,000 and 28,000.
According to the historical registers, he reached in his fourth journey to Yemen in 1413 to a place near to Mukala and then to Aden in 1421 in his sixth journey. In 1431 he visited Aden for the second time, that was his seventh journey. These visits of Zheng He to Yemen provided Yemen with significant participation in developing the friendly relation between Yemen and China in the cultural and commercial fields.
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