The Cheng Ho (Zheng He) Cultural Museum in Malacca (Melaka): Its historical importance and contemporary symbolisms

The Zheng He Museum is an important depository of material artefacts related to Zheng He’s seven voyages through the maritime world. This writing intends to highlight three contemporary narratives related to his legacies: (1) the idea of Zheng He as a symbol of the ‘art of collaboration’; (2) the narrative that associates Zheng He with peaceful tributary relations; and (3) the concept of Malacca as an emporium of trade that prospered under official trade and diplomatic exchanges with Ming dynasty China. All three narratives highlight the idea of the Maritime Silk Road as a metaphor for exchanges, trade, politics, culture and the ‘Asian’ way of mediating differences between nations. The narratives conform to the idea of the Silk Road Ethos by exceptionalizing intercultural respect and non-hegemonic Pan-Asianism. Arising from these narratives and related to the material artefacts presented in the Malacca Zheng He Museum, the important legacies of Zheng He’s maritime voyages related to contemporary concerns in East Asia are in the realm of conflict resolution, capacity-building and free trade, although, for objectivity, this writing will also selectively discuss contested elements and alternative interpretations of the symbolism of Zheng He’s voyages