Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 1 | Page 33

New Tales of the Ming Treasure Voyages
Marymount Primary School, Lau, Hei Yan Zita - 8
My name is Sia Chau, a.k.a. Chueng Chau. I am the captain of a fleet of seven treasure ships because my
father is too old to be captain, so he has appointed me to look after the fleet.
Actually I am a girl, but I have to disguise myself as a man when I am not in my private cabin. My fleet of
treasure ships are used to trade things from countries to countries in exchange of treasure and bring them
back to China.
Join me as I travel the world! Just step into this diary and I will be waiting for you inside! Let me tell you a
secret – I carry a bottle of poison wherever I go in case somebody finds out I am a girl. You know what I
mean if you understand how dangerous yet adventurous my journey is.
Day X (Tuesday) rainy
Disaster! We have just met some nasty pirates who are plotting to rob our ships! They sneak into our ships
and take the loot. We have no choice but to cannon against them and…BOOM! Luckily, I do not need to
use my little bottle of poison this time.
Day Y (Saturday) cloudy
We have arrived Vietnam! Guess what? There is a rumor that their streets are paved with gold, it seems the
country is rich, so we decide to greet the King and see what we can exchange.
We present lovely bowls, vases and cups made of jade to the King in return for some fruits that I have never
seen before – they call those fruits as “melons”, “bananas”, “pineapples” and “rambutans”. We also see some
white elephants which are very rare in China, on the way to the palace.
But I have a headache when I see many golden statues of idols which are unknown to me. I reckon as a
waste of gold, just like the Chinese decorate their houses with gold. Maybe the Vietnamese and Chinese
share similar culture of using gold to express their social status but it is useless on me!
Day Z (Monday) stormy
I am very excited about a newly invented bug poison! The idea comes when one of the pesky bugs bit my
arms which caused me a bit dizzy when we arrived the Philippines. Since some local people have been killed
by this kind of pesky, poisonous bugs, I decide to invent a new type of poison to kill the bug and, it works!
My father must be very proud of me.
Ending:
After all these experiences, I can tell my father that I am capable of surviving in other countries like the
other strong sailors do. This is a dangerous yet adventurous journey which I will never forget. Now I really
miss my home and maybe it is time to take a rest for a while. I will miss all the people and places which I
have visited but no place is as warm as my home. Goodbye!