Admiral Cheng Ho's Seven Dragon Wells
Admiral Cheng Ho's Seven Wells lie in the foot of the Bukit China, beside the Sam Poh Teng Temple. These wells were dug by Admiral Cheng Ho's Expeditionary Naval Force during their stopover in Melaka during the Ming Dynasty. Bukit China was chosen by the Admiral to be used as the base for his expeditionary force. The Seven Wells are also known as the Dragon's wells according to Feng Shui principles. The local government bulldozed some of these wells during the 50-60s on the excuse of road building. To-date only three wells are left intact and they have never been dried even in the worst of draught.
The Admiral's naval visit is recorded in verified Chinese history as compared to the fabled lore of Hang Li Poh's wells. Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho) under the orders of Emperor Yongle, escorted Princess Hang Li Poh to be wed to Sultan Mansor Shah, in the 15th century. As a gift to Hang Li Poh and the Chinese settlers in Bukit Cina, Admiral Zheng He (Cheng Ho), dug seven wells, which is better known as the "Hang Li Poh's well".
Due to the political and racial tension in the country since 2008, several rumors and disagreement regarding the history of the seven wells and also the existence of Hang Li Poh herself arose. This has contributed to many accusation being thrown to the local government by various NGOs and the opposition as the culprit of making the Malay history more colorful using it as a propaganda tool to gain support from the Chinese community.
However, the accusation by certain parties that the historical details of Admiral Zheng He's Expeditionary Naval Force puts the Malay kingdom's sovereignty in a bad light, appeared to be questionable as it is well recorded that Zheng He, who voyaged to Malacca several times, did establish a regional headquarters in Malacca in the 15th century to conduct regional diplomatic and entrepot activities in Southeast Asia due to the close relation between the emperor of China and the kingdom of Malacca as well as the importance of Malacca as an entrepot in Southeast Asia.
Read more about this topic: Bukit Cina
Famous quotes containing the words admiral, dragon and/or wells:
“In this country it is a good thing to kill an admiral from time to time to encourage the others.”
—Voltaire [François Marie Arouet] (1694–1778)
“Opinion is not worth a rush;
In this altar-piece the knight,
Who grips his long spear so to push
That dragon through the fading light,
Loved the lady; and it’s plain
The half-dead dragon was her thought....”
—William Butler Yeats (1865–1939)
“The books we think we ought to read are poky, dull, and dry;
The books that we would like to read we are ashamed to buy;
The books that people talk about we never can recall;
And the books that people give us, oh, they’re the worst of all.”
—Carolyn Wells (1870–1942)