Cheng Ho’s Cultural Museum


  Introduction:

Cheng Ho’s Cultural Museum is a gallery housing exhibits about Chinese Ming Dynasty admiral, Cheng Ho (Zheng He). In a warehouse to the north of the Melaka River, the gallery has exhibits on the admiral’s life. Opened in 2006, it is believed that the museum sits on the site of Guan Chang, a warehouse built by Cheng Ho about 600 years ago to temporarily store goods he acquired during his travels. Flanking the front entrance of the museum are a drum and a bell tower.
 
History of Cheng Ho’s Cultural Museum
Cheng Ho was a famous explorer who made seven voyages to the Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia between 1405 and 1433: five of these voyages brought him through Melaka, leading him to found Malacca’s port. Due to his role as a confidante to the third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty, his influence on Malacca had a significant impact on its regionally important role.
 
Though Cheng Ho was influential in China’s international relations, he will most likely be remembered in Malaysia for his role in bringing the Emperor’s daughter, Princess Hang Li Po to marry the Sultan of Malacca in the mid 15th century. Her entourage, in turn, eventually intermarried with local Malaccans, creating the Baba Nyonya culture.