Postal authorities from China's mainland, Hong Kong and Macao will jointly issue commemorative stamps marking the 600th anniversary of the Chinese navigator and diplomat Zheng He's seven voyages to the Western Ocean.

The inaugural ceremony of issuing the commemorative stamps will be held on June 28 this year in the Yunnan Provincial Post Building, according to the provincial post office.

The post offices from the mainland, Hong Kong and Macao will issue their own-designed commemorative stamps with themes depicting the portrait of Zheng He (1371-1435), exploration, trade and diplomacy as well as navigation technologies.

Zheng He (1371-1435), a native of Kunming in southwest China's Yunnan Province, was a famous Chinese navigator and diplomat of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). He launched the first voyage to the Western Ocean in 1405, contributing a lot to Sino-foreign economic and cultural exchanges.

The Yunnan Province will hold a series of commemorative activities including international academic symposiums and the shooting of a TV documentary to mark Zheng He's voyages anniversary.

(Xinhua News Agency May 17, 2005)