The Narrative of the Chinese Seaman Zheng He in the Context of Commemorative Discourse

In the late 16th century, the Chinese writer Luo Maodeng wrote a novel dedicated to the greatest event in medieval China—Zheng He’s voyage across the Indian Ocean. This book was first translated into Russian in 2023. The article explores the reasons why commemorative social practices have developed in contemporary Chinese society, aimed at reviving and preserving in collective memory the story of the voyages of the 15th-century eunuch Zheng He. However, before exploring the goals of commemoration, it is necessary to understand why this event was forgotten in the medieval era, and why Zheng He’s name was forgotten. The article attempts to compare two opposing, but correlated, phenomena: the passive forgetting of a historical event (a destructive practice) and the active revival and memorialization of the same event within the context of a newly constructed (recreated) historical paradigm. This approach seeks to provide a more complete understanding of the nature of commemoration. Zheng He’s maritime expeditions are renowned for their scale. The unprecedented scale of the expedition (seven ocean voyages were made on several ships of the imperial navy) demonstrated the military and economic might of the ruling Ming dynasty. Modern study of Zheng He’s voyages is hampered by the destruction of numerous archival documents during the ancient period of Chinese history. The article examines the reasons for the burning of numerous testimonies from expedition participants that documented the history of the maritime expedition. By reinterpreting the narrative surrounding the maritime exploration of Zheng He’s expeditions, China seeks to exert greater influence on the international community while simultaneously strengthening its own people’s sense of identity and national pride, laying the foundations for China’s emergence as a powerful maritime power.

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