Comrade | Guevara
As the first great navigator to lead a huge fleet of ships, Zheng He's footprints traveled to more than 30 countries and regions in Asia and Africa, and sailed as far as the coast of Kenya in today's East Africa, promoting political, cultural and trade exchanges between China and foreign countries, while leaving a large number of legendary relics in these areas. Among them, the Three Treasure Well, located in the territory of the Kingdom of Malacca and excavated under the command of Zheng He, has been fought over by 4 countries for more than 500 years (Note: The Kingdom of Malacca has now become a state of Malaysia). What's going on here?
01 Relations between Malacca and the Ming Dynasty
The Kingdom of Malacca, also known in Ming dynasty history as the "Kingdom of Manchuria", was founded in 1402 by Prince Baili Missula of Srivijaya (an ancient kingdom in present-day Indonesia), and because the capital was named in Malacca, the heyday of the territory covered the Malay Peninsula, southern Thailand and southwestern Sumatra. Located at the confluence of the Indian and Pacific Oceans, Malacca has a good deep-water port, making it an important commercial port and the meeting place of Eastern and Western cultures, and Zheng He once anchored in the local area during his voyage to the West.
Map of the Kingdom of Malacca confronting other regimes
Malacca has historically had close ties with China. As early as October of the first year of Yongle (1403), Baili Misula sent envoys to pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty and expressed his willingness for friendly exchanges. In return, two years later (1405), Ming Chengzu Zhu Di sent an envoy to Malacca, crowned Baili Missula as the king of Manchuria, gave him a seal, a colored coin, a robe, a yellow cover, and carved a national stone stele at his request. Four years later, when Zheng He went to the West, he transported this stone monument to Malacca by boat, which became a witness to the friendly exchanges between the two countries.
In order to express his gratitude and hope to establish a strategic alliance with the Ming Dynasty to protect Malacca from bullying by his powerful neighbors, Baili Misula decided to visit Ming in person and officially completed his trip in the eighth year of Yongle (1411). In that year, Baili Misula led his wife and 540 retinue to visit China and paid tribute to Ming Chengzu (probably a giraffe), which won the emperor's favor. In return, Ming Chengzu gave Baili Misula gifts such as a golden jade belt, an honor guard, and a kurama, and promised to protect malacca.com.
Foreign missions pay tribute to the Ming Dynasty
After the reception, Ming Chengzu ordered Yousi to arrange for the Malacca mission to travel in and around Nanjing, all of which were borne by the Ming Dynasty. Baili Misula admired China's prosperity and stayed in China for several months before reluctantly embarking on a journey back to China in October of that year. When Baili Misula resigned, Ming Chengzu specially gave him a feast at the Fengtian Gate and gave him gifts such as jade belts, honor guards, kurama horses, gold, and platinum. Since then, Baili Misula and her descendants have visited the Ming Dynasty many times, and the relations between the two countries have become increasingly close.
02 Princess Han Li Bao and Samho Well
As relations between the Ming Dynasty and Malacca grew better and the political, commercial and cultural exchanges between the two countries became more frequent, the port of Malacca benefited greatly, and in just a few decades, it transformed from a rather desolate fishing port into a prosperous trading center. According to the Malaysian historical classic "Malay Chronicle", as a symbol of friendly exchanges between the two countries, Ming Chengzu once married Princess Han Baoli to Mansoosa, the 6th Sultan of the Malacca Dynasty, opening a "precedent" for Chinese princesses to marry Southeast Asia.
Images of The Lord of The Duke of Tomorrow morning
Digression. Princess Han Libao, also known as Princess Han Libao, Princess Hang Libao, and Princess Huang Libao, is a title based on Malay transliterations, and there is no record of her in Chinese historical records. Moreover, considering the historical texts such as the History of Ming and the Records of Ming Shilu, during the reign of Ming Chengzu, he did not marry any of his daughters far away to Southeast Asia, so it is very doubtful whether Princess Han Libao really has her own person. Of course, it is not excluded that the women of the royal family are crowned princesses by Ming Chengzu and then married to Southeast Asia.
According to the Malay Chronicle, Princess Han Baoli led an entourage of 500 people to Malacca on Zheng He's luxurious treasure ship. Since Princess Han Baoli came from the Heavenly Dynasty and was very beautiful, and the maids around her were all beautiful and immortals, when they entered Malacca, the people came out of the city and rushed to witness this once-in-a-lifetime grand event. Subsequently, Sultan Mansussa specially carved out a hill to build a palace for Princess Han Libao to settle her and a large number of retinues, and named the mountain "Three Treasures Mountain" with the title of "Three Treasure Eunuchs" by Zheng He.
Zheng He's RoadMap to the West
Sanbaoshan is far from the downtown, the environment is quiet, it is indeed a livable place, but the fly in the ointment is that it is far from the river, and it is very inconvenient to take water, which adds a lot of troubles to the princess and her entourage. Later, when Zheng He went to the West again to pass through Malacca, he happened to hear about this and ordered people to dig a well in Sampo Mountain, which the locals called Sambok or Libaojing. At that time, because the water in the Three Treasure Well was continuous, it would never dry up, and it was fresh and delicious, and the taste was very good, which was deeply loved by the princess and her entourage and the surrounding people.
03 The Scramble Around Sambojing
Over time, in addition to being drinkable, the water of SampoJing was also given the effect of eliminating disasters and diseases by the people of Malacca. According to the "Chronicle of the Strait Colonization of nanyang" written by the Malaysian Chinese historian Song Yunpu, The Three Treasure Wells "have extremely clear and luscious water, and the people of the city are happy to drink it." The Malays flock to the well and draw water to cool it down, which is said to be able to get rid of the disease and prolong it. Therefore, those who draw water from the well are endless all day long, and it is also a spectacle. "In addition, the locals are also convinced that whoever drinks the well water of SampoJing will return to Malacca smoothly even if they go far, which can be called holy water."
Sambojing
Sampojing not only benefited the people of Malacca, but even saved the lives of people in neighboring countries in times of crisis. Decades after the excavation of The Three Treasure Wells, Sumatra suffered a once-in-a-century drought, the island's rivers almost all dried up, the harvest was severely poor, and millions of people were running out of rice and water, struggling to die. Fortunately, the Malacca people transported Sampojing water and rice to the relief of the victims to help the sumatra country tide over the difficulties. Afterwards, the grateful islanders built a Three Treasure Pavilion dedicated to Zheng He, and people burned incense and prayed all year round.
In the middle and late Ming Dynasty, the European maritime powers carried out barbaric colonial expansion in Southeast Asia with the help of strong ships and cannons, and Malacca was also a victim. From the early 16th century onwards, Malacca was occupied by Portugal, the Netherlands and the British, and finally officially became a British colony in 1824. During the Portuguese, Dutch and British occupation of Malacca, considering the sacred status of Sampojing in the hearts of the local people, one of the first things to do was to send troops to guard the well, and then poison the well, hoping to weaken the local people's resistance.
The Three Treasures Temple dedicated to The Lord Zheng He
In the fight for Sambojing, the people of Malacca repeatedly fought against Western colonists for more than 500 years until Malaysia won its independence in 1957 (Note: After Malaysia's independence, Malacca became one of its states). Today, although Sam Po Ching is no longer the main source of drinking water for the people of Malacca, it still maintains its sacred status, and a large number of people come to visit the "Holy Well" every year, ask for "Holy Water", and worship Zheng He. Zheng He ruoquan knew that he should be deeply pleased with the good deeds he had done, right?
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