Had our simple buffet style breakfast at Cheng Ho Cafe, and follow by a nice tour at Cheng Ho (Zheng He) Cultural Museum (N2.195301 E102.248653) which is located at Lorong Hang Jebat of Melaka.
The Museum was restored from the Original Cheng Ho warehouse complex or Guang Chang where Cheng Ho Treasure Fleet visited Malacca (Melaka) at least 5 times in his the seven voyages to Western Ocean, interesting part was...all the buildings have the Ming architecture style.
Cheng Ho Cultural Museum at Malacca
The entrance fee is RM20 for adult and RM10 for children. It's reasonable with the rich information Museum.
"Zheng He led seven expeditions to what the Chinese called "the Western Ocean" (Indian Ocean). He brought back to China many trophies and envoys from more than thirty kingdoms – including King Vira Alakeshwara of Ceylon, who came to China as a captive to apologize to the Emperor.
There are speculations that some of Zheng's ships may have traveled beyond the Cape of Good Hope. In particular, the Venetian monk and cartographer Fra Mauro describes in his 1459 Fra Mauro map the travels of a huge "junk from India" 2,000 miles into the Atlantic Ocean in 1420. What Fra Mauro meant by 'India' is not known and some scholars believe he meant an Arab ship. However, Professor Su Ming-Yang thinks "the ship is European, as it is fitted with a crow’s nest, or lookout post, at the masthead, and has sails fitted to the yards, unlike the batten sails of Chinese ships." Source from Wiki.
The statue of Cheng Ho once you step into the Museum
The History of Cheng Ho :-
"Zheng, born as Ma He (馬和 / 马和), was the second son of a Muslim family which also had four daughters, from Kunyang, present day Jinning, just south of Kunming near the southwest corner of Lake Dian in Yunnan.
In 1381, the year his father was killed, following the defeat of the Northern Yuan, a Ming army was dispatched to Yunnan to put down the army of the Mongol Yuan loyalist Basalawarmi during the Ming conquest of Yunnan. Ma He, then only eleven years old, was captured by the Ming Muslim troops of Lan Yu and Fu Youde and made a eunuch. He was sent to the court of one the emperor's son, Zhu Di the Prince of Yan, where he was called San Bao (三寶/三宝, or 三保) meaning Three Jewels." If you want to know more about the history, please visit Wiki.
The Cheng Ho Famous Ship name Bao Chuan (Treasure Fleet)
China had the excellent ship expertise during the Ming Dynasty. The Bao-Chuan (Treasure ship of Zheng He) was A large wooden vessel commanded by the Chinese Admiral Zheng He on seven voyages in the early 15th century.
"The purported dimensions of these ships at 137 m (450 ft) long and 55 m (180 ft wide) and a capacity of 2800t are at least twice as long as the largest European ships at the end of the sixteenth century and 40% longer and 65% wider than the largest wooden ships known to have been built at any time anywhere else. These dimensions are disputed on practical engineering grounds with some suggesting they were as short as 61–76 m (200–250 feet) or that they could only have been used on special occasions in the relative safety of the lower Yangtze river." If you like to know more about the Bao-Chuan (Treasure Ship), please clcik here.
Beside the History of Zheng He (Cheng Ho), the Museum also contain some little notes about the "The Legend of Puteri Gunung Ledang" and "Hang Tuah".
One of the well in the Cheng Ho Cultural Museum
Zheng He (Cheng Ho) and his Bao-Chuan - Treasure Fleet (which can accomadete about 500 peoples) started the first voyage on year 1405 and the last 7th voyage was on year 1433.
Cheng Ho's Treasure Fleet (partial) on his first voyage on year 1405
The Bao-Chuan of Cheng Ho (Zheng He) which was not in scale...
The sailing route (sea map) by Cheng Ho Treasure Fleet
Among all the display and the history corner of the Museum, I like the Miniature of Melaka very much! Photos below...
Miniatures of Malacca
Miniatures of peoples at Malacca
Once we finished most of the area in the Museum, we had been directed to a Nice garden with Full of antiques especially the unique building architecture! I called - 'The Time Machine'.
The Tea Garden in Cheng Ho Cultural Museum
The Chinese Classic Puppet Show theater
The History of Zheng He (Cheng Ho) in the puppet show...
We spent about an hour in the area and it was not enough time for me to explore every corner of the Museum...really appreciated to the Organizers of 'A Date with Bloggers' at Melaka who arranged the tour.
I will definitely visit back again for every detail of Cheng Ho History, because he was the guy who made a huge influence to Malaysia and also to Singapore...
Related post :-
* A Date with Bloggers - Melaka (Malacca) Gourmet Trip
Cheng Ho Cultural Museum
51, Lorong Hang Jebat,
75200 Melaka.
Tel : +606-2831135/6
URL : www.chengho.org/museum
The roof of Cheng Ho Cultural Museum
Location map of Cheng Ho Cultural Museum at Malacca
