Navy band members perform before the departure of the training vessel "Zhenghe", named after a famed Chinese maritime explorer who sailed overseas about 600 years ago, from Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 16, 2012. The Chinese navy on Monday sent the training vessel "Zhenghe" to conduct the country's second global goodwill voyage, 10 years after the first such trip. The vessel is carrying a total of 308 sailors, including 110 students from the Dalian Naval Academy. The voyage marks the first time for the Chinese navy to send students on a goodwill voyage, said Wu Shengli, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy commander. The vessel will visit ports in 11 countries, including Vietnam, India, Italy, Spain, Canada, Ecuador and Indonesia, covering more than 30,000 nautical miles. [Xinhua]

The training vessel "Zhenghe", named after a famed Chinese maritime explorer who sailed overseas about 600 years ago, prepares to depart from Dalian, northeast China's Liaoning Province, April 16, 2012. The Chinese navy on Monday sent the training vessel "Zhenghe" to conduct the country's second global goodwill voyage, 10 years after the first such trip. The vessel is carrying a total of 308 sailors, including 110 students from the Dalian Naval Academy. The voyage marks the first time for the Chinese navy to send students on a goodwill voyage, said Wu Shengli, a People's Liberation Army (PLA) Navy commander. The vessel will visit ports in 11 countries, including Vietnam, India, Italy, Spain, Canada, Ecuador and Indonesia, covering more than 30,000 nautical miles. [Xinhua]