This is a collection of articles delivered at an academic symposium in celebration of the 600th anniversary of Zheng He’s historic voyages to Southeast Asia and Africa. These reports deal with four subjects: the historic background and evaluation of the voyages, the marine civilization in Chinese history, oceanographic awareness in contemporary Chinese history and the oceanographic role in China’s peaceful development. The symposium was jointly sponsored by the CAS Division of Earth Sciences and the CAE Division of Agriculture, Light and Textile Industries and Environment. (Published by Science Press in January 2006).
