Described as an ‘explorer, conqueror, and trader’, and as an envoy of the Emperor of China, Zheng He’s visits to the Muslim Malay World had an undeniable impact as far as Islam is concerned. Indonesian Islamic scholar Hamka wrote in 1961: “The development of Islam in Indonesia and Malaya is intimately related to a Chinese Muslim, Admiral Zheng He.”² In Malacca he built granaries, warehouses and a stockade, and most probably he left behind many of his Muslim crew – because the local community was Muslim -- to take care of these interests.
Even though there is a vast choice of documents relating the Chinese Muslim connection to Indonesia, produced by Indonesian and foreign researchers, not much is found about ports on the Malay Peninsula. This chapter will be an attempt to draw parallel situations and developments from records, of the impact of a mighty Chinese Muslim Admiral’s visits on the Chinese who lived in Muslim Indonesian states in the same frame of time, and in a space of close geographical proximity. Zheng He had many Muslim Eunuchs as his companions. At the time when his fleet first arrived in this area, there were already Chinese of the ‘Mohammedan’ faith living there. Ma Huan talks about them as Tangren (Chinese) who were Muslim. At places they went, they frequented mosques, actively propagated the Islamic faith, established Chinese Muslim communities and built mosques.
Parlindungan Mangaradja Onggang writes that when the Ming Dynasty’s fleet stopped in Semarang, Zheng He, Ma Huan and Fei Xin often went to the mosque to pray. He adds: “Under the influence of Zheng He between 1411-1416, in the Malay Peninsula, Java, Sumatra, and the Philippines, there developed many Chinese Muslim areas, and many mosques were built.”
Claudine Salmon believes that “ .the expansion of Islam in the East Indies and the simultaneous formation of ‘Chinese’ communities are two parallel developments.” She cites Muslim dignitaries with Chinese origin, or Chinese who converted to Islam and married local women, who can be traced in various places from Aceh to Palembang in Sumatra, to Banten in Java, and further to the East in Semarang and Mojokerto. Salmon gives well documented evidence of the Chinese Muslim presence, and their heavy influence on the social, political and economic scenes on the Indonesian islands. “ the first Muslim kingdoms in Java, the extent to which the presence of the Chinese is perceptible everywhere.” She adds that the Dutch and English sources provide plentiful information on Muslim dignitaries. Many of them are mentioned with their Chinese surnames, such as Lim Lacco from Banten, who was the advisor of the Pangeran; So Bing Kong, a pepper trader from Kendal; the Han family from Surabaya, a well-known Chinese Muslim family for many generations.
Indonesian scholar Slamet Muljana 6 writes: “Zheng He built Chinese Muslim communities first in Ju Gang (Palembang), then in San Fa (West Kalimantan), subsequently he built same kind of communities along the shores of Java, the Malay Peninsula and the Philippines. They propagated the Islamic faith according to the Hanafi sect and in Chinese language.
Amen Budiman narrates the story of Wang Jing-Hong , Zheng He’s vice commander. He fell sick as the fleet arrived at the Northern shores of Central Java. Zheng He ordered to stop at Semarang, to seek cure for Wang Jing–Hong. Ten days later, Zheng He pursued westwards with his fleet, leaving behind Wang Jing-Hong and ten men. Wang Jing-Hong loved this place; so when he recovered from his illness, he did not follow Zheng He. He stayed and taught the local people and the Chinese who lived there agriculture and trade, and propagated Islam to them.7
Tan Yeok Seong8 in his article ‘Chinese Element in the Islamisation of Southeast Asia’9 tells about the very interesting Great Lady of Gresik, Shih Ta Niang Tzi Pi Na Ti, and their sibling squabble over the inheritance of power, in which Zheng He was asked to intervene. She was Chinese Muslim. In fact, many of the Chinese chieftains in that area were Muslim. Tan, in his conclusion, affirms that “These early settlements were peopled by Chinese Muslims who had created a sphere of influence for themselves with the co-operation of Zheng He. Religion and trade then went hand in hand. Through Islam, the Muslims, in spite of their racial differences, became masters of trade; while, on the other hand, successful maritime trade helped to spread Islamisation. The Chinese settlers of this period were pioneers of both these enterprises. They had been Muslims and had established for themselves Islamic settlements at important trade centres, such as Palembang and Gresik. From these centres a process of converting the indigenous people was begun”.
The stone cave where Zheng He stayed during his visit to Semarang was said to be a center for the propagation of Islamic religion at that time, according to a legend recorded by Heru Christiyono. Li Tong Cai, in his book ‘Indonesia – Legends and Facts’, writes : “in 1430, San Bao Tai Jian [The San Bao Eunuch] had already successfully established the foundations of the Hui religion [Islam]. After his death in 1434, Haji Yan Ying Yu became the force behind the Chinese Muslim community. He delegated a few local Chinese as leaders, such as Sun Long, a trader from Semarang, and Peng Rui He and Haji Peng De Qin. Sun Long and Peng Rui He actively urged the Chinese community to ‘Javanise’. They encouraged the younger Chinese generation to assimilate with the Javanese society, to take on Javanese names and their way of life. Sun Long’s adopted son Chen Wen, also named Radin Pada is the son of King Majapahit and his Chinese wife.” Among the ‘nine saints of Java’ a few were of Chinese blood.
In the Malay World 500 years ago, we see that there was already an active Chinese Muslim community dispersed over large areas, and distinguished enough to occupy high positions and marry local Muslim dignitaries. This active presence was certainly encouraged and strengthened by Zheng He’s numerous visits to these places over nearly thirty years, and for the fact that, at that time, Islam was already a religion well established and practiced by the local people. However, after Zheng He’s death, Chinese naval expeditions were suspended. After a lapse of 400 years, the Hanafi Islam that Zheng He and his people propagated lost almost all contact with Islam in China, and gradually was totally absorbed by the local Shafi’i sect.
When Melaka was successively colonised by the Portuguese, the Dutch, and later the British, Chinese were discouraged, (short of being declared illegal), to convert into Islam. Many of the Chinese Muslim mosques became San Bao temples commemorating Zheng He, the seafarer. With time, the influence of Chinese Muslims in Malacca declined to almost nil.
