YORK'S Mansion House will tonight host a debate about two great sea faring explorers from Britain and China - Captain James Cook and Zheng He - as part of the York Festival of Ideas.

Former Lord Mayor Dave Taylor said visitors will hear about the adventurers' great ships and their exploration of the world from East to West and vice-versa.

"The speaker from China will be Gu Suning, director of the Nanjing Maritime Silk Road Research Centre, and Dr Nigel Rigby, former Head of Research at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, will speak about Yorkshire's famed explorer," said Cllr Taylor. "The Sheriff of York, Dafydd Williams, will be presiding over the debate."

He said the idea for the debate arose during a visit to Nanjing while he was Lord Mayor.

"The Foreign Affairs Office of Nanjing were delighted at the thought of linking China's most famous explorer with Captain Cook - an idea first presented to me by Andrew Scott, the former Director of the National Railway Museum in York," he said.

"I'm pleased that we will be able to hear two experts speak about Zheng He and Captain Cook as part of York Festival of Ideas, whose theme this year is 'A World of Wonder' which seems highly appropriate."

Tickets costing £6 are available online via 'Eventbrite' at this address: tinyurl.com/YorkFoI