Zheng He, the Columbus of the East, was an amazing man.
He was born in 1371, and 11 years later, was caught by the army of a rich young man called Zhu Di and made to work for him. Over time the rich man saw that Zheng He was very clever and strong and they become close friends. In 1403 Zhu Di was made the King of China and he asked Zheng He to join his new government.
The King wanted to learn more about the world and show other countries his power. He ordered many new ships to be built and made Zheng He their leader. Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng He led seven sea trips to different parts of the world. He certainly travelled to India, Africa and the Middle East. A few people think his ships may have even reached South America and Australia.
Each trip lasted between two and four years and it is believed he sailed more than 50,000 kms during the years of his travels. With 28,000 men and over 300 ships, such as boats for food, water and even soldiers' horses, Zheng He led a fleet (舰队) whose size would not be equaled by Europeans for over 500 years!
On these trips he brought with him many Chinese goods (商品) like silk and medicine to give to foreign kings or to sell for local goods. He returned from each trip with boats filled with expensive things such as gold and jewelry, foreign guests and strange animals.
It is a pity that we may never learn everything about Zheng He's travels. After he died in 1433, the new king, who believed these trips were unlucky and too expensive, had them stopped and he burned almost all the books about ZhengHe's travels. It is only in the last 50 years that historians have begun to carefully study the adventures of the great Zheng He.
