Marie Koo

Oil on canvas, 26” x 26” The Third Voyage Of Zheng He In 1409, Zheng He commended a fleet of 48 ships and 3,000 men. One of the main purposes of this trip was to establish Malacca as a vassal state of China, with the intent of increasing Malacca's power, to establish a balance of power among Siam, Java and Malacca, thus ensuring Chinese’s trading rights in the region. The fleet traveled to the Malay Peninsula where in the interior high lands, were-tigers were rumored to live in huts thatched from women’s hair. In Ceylon, the fleet got involved in the power struggle among its Sinhalese, Tamils and Muslim populations - Zheng He seized a Buddha tooth relic and kidnapped a King. During this voyage, Zheng He also erected a stone tablet at Adam’s Peak, with Chinese/Tamil/Persian carvings in praise of Buddha, Siva and Allah.