Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 1 | Page 63

The Untold Eighth Treasure Voyage-
in memory of my beloved Godfather, Zheng He
St. Paul's Co-educational College Primary School, Yuen, Fe - 8
Dear Godfather ,
1
I did it! I have just realised your lifelong dream of circumnavigation, to prove that Earth is round! Hope I have made
you proud. I missed you dearly and regretted incredibly for my absence at your funeral, as I learnt about the tragic news
only recently when my fleet reached Quanzhou .
2
Ten months after you embarked on your seventh treasure voyage, Xuande Emperor ordered me to lead an expedition of
circumnavigation. The emperor thought previous voyages focused too much on the display of wealth. He believed a
global circumnavigation could demonstrate the superiority of China in scientific exploration in the region. The emperor
ordered us to keep the plan a secret, and understandably so.
As it was the first time I led an expedition of this scale, I wanted to stay modest. Instead of a more ambitious plan of a
complete east-west circumnavigation, I planned to circumnavigate north-south, just around the ocean outside the East
China Sea.
3
It was May 1431. My fleet left the port of Liujiagang , travelled northeast, and passed through the strait between Jin and
Wo . Based on the methods described in Zhoubi Suanjing , my crew and I duly observed the midday sun to track our
4
5
latitudes. The fleet reached the farthest north as it navigated past the Kamchatka Peninsula. Since we had been travelling
in a reasonably straight line, the changes in latitude made us believe that we had been moving on a curved surface
instead of a flat one. The evidence for a spherical Earth was emerging.
In November of the same year, we discovered a new world. It was vast, occupied by very friendly Ohlone natives. They
were delighted to receive treasures from us, and in return, asked us to give their place a toponym. We took the
opportunity and named it “ Xuande ”, after our emperor .
6
After leaving Xuande , we kept navigating south. We reached the farthest south on our journey in September 1432,
encountered a continent, covered entirely in ice and occupied by exotic animals — bird-like animals that waddle and
live in colonies. They were very agile swimmers, in contrast to some lazy, gigantic species which laid still sunbathing
near the shore.
Everything sailed smoothly until a thunderstorm hit us in April 1433 and wrecked one of our ships. Luckily, we found a
nearby island where we took the time to reorganise. Finally, the critical moment came on 18 June 1433 when our fleet
approached Liujiagang northbound, the opposite of how we departed. I murmured to myself in disbelief, “Earth is
indeed spherical!!!” Everyone on board burst into tears of joy.
It has been a long two years, and I am glad to be home. Last night, I dreamt of us to be the very first global
circumnavigators. After waking up, I keep wondering if the eighth treasure voyage were the world-first … Anyhow, I
shall bring the good news to the emperor tomorrow. Wish me luck!
7
Sincerely and respectfully yours,
En-Lai
I role-played Zheng En-Lai ( 鄭恩來 ), Zheng He’s godson, when writing The Untold Eighth Treasure
Voyage.
2
Some believed Zheng He died in Calicut, India during his seventh voyage in the spring of 1433.
3
Today’s Pacific Ocean.
4
Jin ( 辰 ): Today’s South Korea.
1
Wo ( 倭 ): Today’s Japan.
Zhoubi Suanjing ( 周髀算經 ): the earliest books on astronomy in Chinese history.
Xuande city was renamed to “San Francisco” by Spanish colonists in 1776.
7
The Magellan–Elcano circumnavigation completed in 1522, 89 years after Zheng En-Lai.
5
6