Visitors entering the Nation Museum of China in downtown Beijing tomorrow will be greeted by the sight of a four-metre long, nine-mast, wooden model ship perched serenely on a blue platform in the middle of the first section of the museum's No 6 Exhibition Hall.

Behind the ship is a large photo of a small island in the Indian Ocean, hung next to a map with flashing lights marking seafaring routes the longest linking East China and Kenya.

The sound of breaking waves fills the hall as a recent TV documentary about Ming Dynasty admiral Zheng He (1371-1435) and his grand naval fleets plays in a loop.

This is how a historical voyage begins, covering more than 2,000 square metres of exhibition space.

Running until October 7, the grand exhibition marks the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's first expedition among seven believed to have been made between 1405 and 1433.

The exhibition displays 80 sets of artefacts and 190 photos. Exhibits include an 11-metre long wooden model rudder the original was unearthed in 2003 at the Ming Dynasty shipyard in Nanjing.

There are ancient silk sheets featuring the patterns of dragons, and clouds and flowers, and a two-metre-high "Tianfei Goddess" stone tablet, its inscriptions chronicling Zheng's first six voyages.

The original is housed in a museum in Changle, East China's Fujian Province, once a port where ships sought refuge from typhoons at the time of Zheng's seventh voyage.

Wang Yonghong, chief curator of the exhibition, said also on display are rarely displayed ancient, hand-drawn maritime maps, calligraphic scrolls, Buddhist sutras written with golden characters and ancient paintings vividly depicting the prosperity of Ming capital Nanjing in its heyday.

Divided into five parts, the exhibition reveals details of Zheng and his followers' backgrounds, provides historical context, and outlines the seven voyages and their historical and cultural influence on countries and regions along the routes.

Zheng He is known to the world as one of history's pioneering navigators, a technological innovator of the Ming Dynasty, and a creator of the Chinese maritime Silk Road.

"His seven voyages to Asian and African nations 600 years ago are believed to be the earliest and largest-scale in human history," said Ma Yingming, deputy director of the museum and a veteran ancient Chinese history scholar.

Ma said Zheng set out on each voyage with about 100 gigantic ocean-going ships and 28,000 crew, with the most advanced navigational tools in the world.

His first voyage was 87 years earlier than that of Christopher Columbus, 92 years earlier than Vasco da Gama's, and 114 years earlier than Ferdinand Magellan.

The most noteworthy aspect of Zheng's naval expeditions is that "they were journeys of peace and friendship," Ma pointed out. "Meanwhile, many other foreign ocean-going adventurers, including Columbus, da Gama and Magellan, came home with riches and treasures robbed from the nations they visited."

Another exhibition of 250 photographs recording the cultural heritage of countries and regions Zheng He's fleets visited is also being staged.

Shot by female journalist Fan Chunge from Wuhan, capital of Hubei Province, the images depict ruins of ancient sea ports, Islamic tombs where Zheng's crew members are buried, Ming style porcelain found in African countries and ancient temples where Zheng is worshipped by locals as a god said to watch over sailors and keep them safe.

Between 2000 and 2002, Fan visited 18 Asian and African nations, travelling as far as South Africa, in the hope of gaining a deeper understanding of the voyages.

The museum exhibits evoke exciting and glorious impressions of Zheng's naval expeditions, reflect Chinese values and an ancient code of conduct, and mark the enduring friendships between China and many other Asian and African nations, said Ma.

Commemorative events

The museum exhibitions start a programme of celebratory activities elsewhere in Beijing, in Shanghai and the provinces of Guangdong, Fujian, Jiangsu and Yunnan, according to Yao Mingde, an official at the Ministry of Communications and the chief co-ordinator of the events.

On July 6, a grand celebratory event called Zheng He's Seagoing Day will be held in Taicang of Jiangsu Province, where Zheng's fleet began their inaugural expedition from Liujiagang Port.

The event is expected to attract thousands of locals, Chinese and foreign Zheng He scholars, experts in Ming and maritime history, and overseas Chinese from countries the navigator visited.

On July 7, the Ministry of Communications and Shanghai municipal government will jointly stage a marine rescue role play, the largest of its kind in China, in the East China Sea.

Among the major celebrations is the declaration of July 11, the day Zheng's fleet began its maiden voyage in 1405, as national Maritime Day. A grand gathering is scheduled to be held in the Great Hall of the People in Beijing.

Meanwhile, a TV documentary called "1405 Zheng He and His Seven Voyages to the Western Oceans" will be aired on CCTV-1.

The first Shanghai International Maritime Exhibition which will showcase Zheng He's naval expeditions and maritime equipment will be held from July 8-16 in Shanghai.

Other celebrations include quiz shows and summer campuses' lectures covering different aspects of Zheng He's adventures, seafaring and navigation, for young students in the cities of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong in July, and a three-day international symposium held in Nanjing and Taicang of Jiangsu Province.

On June 28, the State Postal Bureau unveiled a new set of stamps marking the anniversary in Taicang. On the same day, Hong Kong Post issued a series of stamps commemorating the navigator.

In late June, an album "The Zheng He Epic" was jointly published by Chenguang Press, Yunnan Art Publishing House and Yunnan People's Publishing House in Southwest China's Yunnan Province, the birthplace of Zheng He.

With hundreds of precious historical pictures, the album gives an kaleidoscopic display of the whole life of Zheng He, with focus on his sea voyages.