Cheng Ho arrival to be celebrated in style
Suherdjoko, The Jakarta Post, Semarang
Oei Thiam Hien, a caretaker at the Sam Poo Kong Temple in Semarang, was busy attending to some pilgrims praying at the Sam Poo Thay Jien altar one recent Saturday afternoon. Oei patiently explained the rules to the pilgrims as they entered a small room where the Sam Poo Thay Jien statue was located.
"The pilgrims ask a lot of questions, so I have to be patient," said Oei. Incense burned near the altar and pilgrims were deeply absorbed in their prayers in front of the statue.
"Sam Poo Thay Jien" means the "Big Guy of Sam Poo", the alias for the famous Chinese Admiral Zheng He (popularly called Cheng Ho), who led his crew ashore in what is now Gedung Batu, Simongan, Semarang. Sailing from China in 1405, he landed on the area in 1413. His entourage consisted of 62 ships and 27,800 crew members.
A geologist said the Sam Poo Kong temple, which was built by Cheng Ho, was situated at the tip of the Garang River. At that time, the estuary of the Garang River was 1,000 meters wide and some 50 meters deep, so Cheng Ho and his fleet were able to sail up to the mouth of the river.
During his stay in Semarang, Cheng Ho, a devout Muslim, built Sam Poo Kong. The building is thought to have originally been a mosque, but later it was turned into a temple. The building consists of a main building, the Hok Tik Tjin Sien Temple (the Earth God), the Ship Captain Temple, the Anchor Temple and several smaller temples.
According to a book by historian Slamet Muljana, Cheng Ho landed in Semarang in order to repair his ship. Flanked by his trusted aides, Ma Huan and Fe Tsin, Cheng Ho prayed at Sam Poo Kong daily. The building was turned into a temple in 1434, after Cheng Ho died in Nanking, China, in 1431.
Inside the temple is a well that is believed to have the power to bring good luck and prosperity to suppliants.
For years, people from different religions have prayed at Sam Poo Kong for prosperity and health.
"The number of people praying here can reach dozens on Thursday night or Monday night," said Sajiran, a caretaker at the Anchor Temple.
While most of the people praying at the Sam Poo Thay Jien altar are ethnic Chinese, most of the people at the Anchor Temple are Javanese.
Cheng Ho reportedly sailed to what is now Indonesia after being sent by Yung Lo Caesar of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1643) to promote friendship and trade between China and South and Southeast Asia.
Historian Slamet Muljana said that diplomacy between China and other countries was largely absent during the Yuan Dynasty because of internal conflict, but after the Ming Dynasty took over diplomacy was revived.
In what is now Indonesia, Cheng Ho visited Aceh, Palembang, Cirebon, Semarang and Gresik.
The 600th anniversary of Cheng Ho's arrival in Semarang will be grandly celebrated this year, thanks to the reform era that swept across the country in 1998. During the New Order era, Chinese cultural celebrations were banned, including any celebrations having to do with Cheng Ho.
In preparations for the celebrations this year, which will take place on Aug. 3 and Aug. 4, the Sam Poo Kong Temple has been renovated and enlarged.
"We also put up a relief of Cheng Ho's journey that we received from Shanghai University 18 months ago," said Priambudi, who oversaw the temple's renovation.
The committee in charge of the celebrations has brought in 2,900 small Chinese paper lanterns and 400 bigger lanterns that will be sold to the public.
It is also building a smaller replica of Cheng Ho's ship for display during the celebrations.