Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 -1 2019 | Page 58

Discovery of Zheng He's Great Adventures
Creative Primary School, Leung, Theodore - 11
“I am so not happy.” Kelvin pouted as he stormed into his room after school. His mother could see
something was wrong. “What happened at school?” she followed him to his room.
“We are studying exploration and Miss Michelle wants us to write a report on famous adventures.
We all drew names from a box. Thomas got James Cook’s Easter Island exploration and David got the
adventures of Columbus. And guess what I got? I got Zheng He’s voyages to the west. I don’t even know
who this person is!”
“That’s why Miss Michelle wants you to do research for your report. You might learn something
interesting.”
“Uh! I don’t think I will.” Kelvin rolled his eyes. “I don’t even know where to begin!”
“Start with this book. You will be impressed with his exploration.” His mom got a book from the
bookshelf and left.
Kelvin took the book and scanned the back cover:
Go back in time with Fei Xin, when there were no walkie-talkies, no Google maps. Yet he
traveled through the unknown seas with the famous Chinese explorer – Zheng He four times. Fei Xin
documented the wonders of what he saw and heard throughout the voyages. He also recorded the hardships
the crew experienced during the voyages. Discover the world with one of the greatest explorations of all
time.
Kelvin had no idea how to start his project, so he took his mother’s advice and flipped through the
book.
---
We had a great time in Quy Nhơn. When we arrived, the king came to greet us on the back of an
elephant. He gave us a full ship of pearls, precious stones, elephant trunks and rhinoceros horns. We even
signed a few trade treaties with him. I guessed the king really loved our gold, silk and porcelain. He even
gave us a big banquet before we set sail. None of us had had so much food and wine in the past 15 days.
Our fleet continued southward. The weather was excellent. However, I could sense Admiral
Zheng’s worries. He stood on the deck looking at the sky with a frown. Then suddenly, he gathered two
hundred soldiers and told them to prepare some chopped ginger and dry citrus skins. He then demanded all
of us to rub ginger on our stomach and then drink citrus water quickly. We did not understand why. After a
little while, the wind suddenly blew very hard. I heard the whoosh from the waves as they crashed toward
our ships. I could not believe we had a storm coming. It was sunny just minutes ago. The storm was getting
stronger. Our ships tossed wildly and seemed about to go down. I closed my eyes, as the thunder and
lightning were too much for me to handle. Luckily, the ginger and citrus water kept me from throwing up.
Some of the crewmates on the treasure ship were tossed back and forth while checking for leakages. They
felt really sick and wanted to turn back. However, Admiral Zheng told them to lie in bed and stayed in the
compartments. The storm lasted the whole night. Twenty vessels had minor damages but we all survived.
---
Kelvin was impressed. He wondered how they got the fleet back on track. After all, the storm must
have blown the ships away from their destination. He slowly found their trip quite interesting. He flipped to
another page.
---
Almost everyone in Nanjing came to see us off. The sky was clear. The port was packed with
thousands of people again. We offered sacrifices and prayers to the sea goddess, hoping a safe and successful
journey for us all. Emperor Zhu Di came and offered us expensive gifts. I gave my gifts to my servants and
then said my goodbyes. Then the firecrackers were set off. I boarded on the treasure ship with Admiral
Zheng and Deputy Admiral Wang in the midst of the smoke. My friend Ma Huan also boarded with me
this time. Ma Huan and I had been friends for a long time. We both enjoyed studying Arabic. I was happy
he finally agreed to come with us on this journey. The rope that tied to the dock was released and off to our
journey.
Diseases had been one of Admiral’s main worries during our first voyage. Luckily, nothing serious
happened to the 28,000 members of the fleet. Some just got minor food poisoning. Others got mild
stomachaches and some threw up. Nevertheless, after they got some rest and took some medicines from our
doctors, they all got better. I supposed they were just not used to eating the unfamiliar food from the foreign
countries we visited. The most ridiculous sickness I have heard from our last trip was what the doctors called
the “tired” disease. The doctors prescribed “sleep” to these sailors and they felt much better afterwards.