Cheng Ho arrival to be celebrated in style

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.