In 2006, a 12-episode television documentary titled The Rise of Great Powers discussed how maritime-based western powers like Spain and the United Kingdom came into being. The shows ignited debate on whether China should also strengthen its protection of maritime interests.

"As a strategic force to guide the country's growth, the navy must be strengthened," said Rear Admiral Yang Yi, a senior military expert at the National Defense University in Beijing.

With this in mind, the PLA has offered consistent defense budgets to upgrade weapons and technologies in recent years, added Senior Colonel Li Jie, a researcher at the navy's Military Academy.

The bold move to send fleets to protect Chinese merchant vessels against Somali pirates last December has also caught the attention of the nation. It was the first overseas military combat mission for the navy since Zheng He's six centuries ago.

Netizens praised the efforts to protect national interests, even though the mission zone near Somalia is 5,000 nautical miles from China's shores.

A recent poll of more than 40,000 Chinese Internet users showed 90.4 percent were concerned with the disputes over maritime interests, while a similar survey showed more than 80 percent would like to see the Chinese Navy expanded.

The public has also been engaged in talks over the nation's first aircraft carrier, a plan suggested by the navy and Ministry of Defense. Tens of thousands of Chinese backed the idea, while about 80 percent of netizens in a web survey said they would happily donate their income towards the project.

"China can't develop without aircraft carriers. The ship is part of China's plan to reach further into the high seas in the near future," said Li Daguang, a weapons expert also with the National Defense University of the PLA.

Though the focus to hold firm in nearby waters remains, the message is clear that the country must rule the waves with more overseas missions in areas vital to China's foreign trade, analysts said.

Many used to see the PLA Navy as a floating coastal defense force, a "brown water navy", but that is no longer the case, explained Dr David M. Finkelstein, director of China studies at the US-based Center for Naval Analyses. He told China Daily: "Today, the PLA Navy is pushing further and further out to sea."

Commander Simon Brown, captain of the Australian Navy's HMAS Success tanker, which also celebrates its 23rd commission anniversary today, said China's naval growth is as normal as that of any other major power in the past.

"Certainly, China is changing from a coastal navy to a more regional navy. However, it is not just a navy that is growing, but a country that is growing, economically and externally," he said.

The historic anniversary is not just a reckoning of the past, but rather an opportunity for the navy in China and the country to evolve ideas on how to watch over its maritime interests, said Peng.