NAIROBI, Dec. 19 (Xinhua) -- A photo exhibition to commemorate the 620th anniversary of Chinese navigator Zheng He's voyages was launched on Friday in Nairobi, the Kenyan capital.
Senior government officials, diplomats, industry representatives, scholars and students graced the launch of the photo exhibition, which also coincided with the 62nd anniversary of the establishment of China-Kenya diplomatic relations.
Cultural performances, including a traditional Chinese lion dance by local university students, preceded the public opening of the photo exhibition, highlighting Zheng He's voyages along the East African coastline.
Jane Makori, deputy director-general at the Asia and the Pacific Directorate in Kenya's Ministry of Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, said that Zheng, whose fleet landed on the Kenyan coastline over six centuries ago, symbolizes the enduring Sino-Kenya friendship, anchored in mutual respect, trust and shared aspirations.
"We are very pleased that China is one of our most important strategic partners, and we would like to continue working together. The future can only be brighter," Makori said.
Kenya is proud to be a partner of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative that has unleashed long-term and impactful benefits, Makori said, adding that the East African nation aims to become a model of cooperation with China that other African countries can emulate.
Organized by the China General Chamber of Commerce in Eastern Africa, the photo exhibition will last for three days.
Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Guo Haiyan said that Zheng's fleet, which made stopovers in the port city of Mombasa, the tourist town of Malindi and Lamu Island, a world heritage site, brought goodwill and civilization as opposed to war, conquest and plunder.
"What Zheng He's fleet brought were not warships, cannons or colonial conquest, but silk, porcelain, tea and advanced production technologies," Guo said.
According to Guo, the Maritime Silk Road pioneered by Zheng linked China with African countries like Kenya, forging a profound and enduring friendship between the two nations' citizens.
"Today, China-Kenya relations are at their best in history. As we mark the 62nd anniversary of our diplomatic ties, we look back on a journey of steadfast partnership and shared development," Guo said.
Mary Gikungu, director-general of the National Museums of Kenya, said that Zheng's commemorative photo exhibition speaks directly to a shared history with China, characterized by trade, diplomacy and cross-cultural encounters. ■
