National museum in Nairobi celebrates 620th anniversary of Ming dynasty navigator’s voyages and 62 years of modern bilateral ties
More than six centuries ago, around eight decades before Portuguese navigator Vasco da Gama, Chinese admiral Zheng He arrived on the eastern coast of Africa, commanding a vast fleet with more than 20,000 crew members.
The ships of the Ming dynasty endured powerful waves and crossed enormous distances during seven major maritime expeditions, reaching Southeast Asia, South Asia, West Asia, and eventually the eastern shores of Africa.
Despite these accomplishments, Zheng He is largely missing from Kenya’s history curriculum. To draw attention to these early connections with China, Beijing has been increasing financial support for archaeological work, DNA studies, and museum exhibitions.
By connecting China’s ancient Maritime Silk Road to its modern Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing seeks to emphasize historical relationships alongside present-day developments such as Kenya’s Standard Gauge Railway and the Lamu port.
The most recent example of this initiative is an exhibition at the National Museums of Kenya in Nairobi, marking both the 620th anniversary of Zheng He’s voyages and 62 years of the modern diplomatic relationship between the two nations.
Admiral Zheng He and his Ming dynasty fleet traversed vast distances on seven epic maritime expeditions.
At the exhibition’s opening on December 19, Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan said that historic ports such as Mombasa and Malindi served as important stops for Zheng He, showing a long history of engagement grounded in cooperation rather than conquest.
