A new temple was unveiled in Semarang Wednesday for local people and tourists to worship Chinese navy explorer Zheng He, who visited this capital city of Central Java Province 600 years ago during his navigation of the West Ocean.

The inauguration will fuel the traditional friendship between Chinese and Indonesian peoples and further promote the economic and cultural exchange between the two countries, Yu Hongyao, Charge d'Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, said in a speech.

Meanwhile, Yu noted that the Chinese-Indonesian relations have made positive development in recent years, especially since Chinese President Hu Jintao and his Indonesian counterpart Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono exchanged visits this year.

Central Java Governor Mardiyanto said that the inauguration should be considered as "a historical development" of Zheng He's ideal for unity, mutual help and peaceful co-existence.

It could also bring about consolidation among different nationalities and mutual respect among various religions, he added.

What's more, he added, the temple could benefit the province's tourism industry as it always served as center of religious activities and sight-seeing destination for the Indonesians as well as foreigners.

Present at the ceremony are some 100 guests including delegations from China's Fujian Province and its Xiamen City, Chinese Embassy in Indonesia, as well as Indonesian Chinese organizations.

Construction of the temple was completed within three years at a cost of more than one million US dollars.

Zheng He once navigated the West Ocean for seven times. He and his fleet stopped at Semarang for three times, leaving several historical sites for the port city, among which the Zheng He Temple was the most significant one in terms of religious, academic and economic values.

(Xinhua News Agency August 3, 2005)