China in Africa: In Zheng He's footsteps

Description

Li Xinfeng's years spent as a Chinese correspondent in South Africa are evident in the insights he shares in China in Africa: Following Zheng He's Footsteps, the narrative of his research into the traces left by the famed navigator during his travels in and around Africa. Beginning on Kenya's Pate Island, Li's research led him to travel around much of the southern part of the African continent, searching for signs that Zheng He's fleet had been there some six centuries earlier.

China in Africa: Following Zheng He's Footsteps is more than just one person's quest to retrace the journey of an alluring historical figure, shrouded in legend: Zheng He has become an important symbol for the Chinese people and the world of peace-loving cultural exchange. Li's comprehensive research into this iconic figure’s traces presents a challenge to the postcolonial world, highlighting the stark contrast between colonising and fair exchange for mutual benefit. Li's unrelenting call for the complete annihilation of all colonial relationships and the promotion of friendly collaboration forms a consistent thread in the narrative of his extensive journeys.