Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 1 | Page 46

The Great Voyages of Zheng He Shanghai United International School Wanyuan Campus, Cao, Zachary - 8 This afternoon, I walked to my garden as usual. Suddenly, I noticed a small house on top of a tree. I was curious, so I climbed inside it. I saw a note on the floor. It said, “I can send you anywhere.” These days I was learning about Zheng He, so I told the note, “I wish I could go to Ming Dynasty.” The tree house started to shake and then everything was still. Absolutely still. You would never guess where I was now. I found myself standing on a boat. No, it wasn’t a boat, but rather an enormous ship. The Captain of the ship, you guessed it, was the famous Zheng He. While on this ship, I found myself just as a Chef. I cooked a famous traditional Yunnan dish, steam pot chicken. I remembered that he came from Yunnan Province. Very quickly, I was summoned to see the great Zheng He. He smiled at me and said, “You did a good job. You cooked well and made me think of my hometown.” I felt happy. “For this reason, I can answer you two questions,” he added. I felt honored. My heart danced with delight. I asked Zheng He the first question excitedly, “My master, you’ve been to many foreign countries, which is your favorite country? Can you share with me?” He looked at me for a while and said, “This is a good question. I like Africa most because I brought back a giraffe. I was born in Yunnan in 1371. There are many rare animals there but I have never seen such an animal. It looks elegant because it is very quiet. It not only has a long neck but also beautiful large eyes and long lovely eyelashes. It’s amazing. You know, in 1405, I set off from China for the first voyage. We visited South-East Asia, the Middle East, and even the east coast of Africa. But I’ve never seen giraffe before. I like giraffe very much.” I was shocked, but I managed not to show it. In fact, I didn’t think he liked giraffes so much because he didn’t look after them every day. Then I asked Zheng He the second question anxiously, “My master, this is the seventh voyage. What do you think of your voyages?” He laughed and replied proudly, “My voyage developed trade between China and foreign countries and also encouraged the exchange of cultures and technologies. China is now very well-known from my voyages.” “Always be brave, and follow your dream.” Zheng He looked at me firmly and spoke. I looked at him and nodded, too excited to say a word. I couldn’t agree with him more. Ring, ring, ring! “Zach, it’s time to get up.” A voice said loudly. It’s mum. I suddenly woke up, looked around, and saw an open book called The Great Voyages of Zheng He lying on the desk. I smiled and said, “Wow, I dreamed a wonderful dream.”