Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 2 - 2 | Page 189

A Voyage of Gifts
Victoria Shanghai Academy, Yin, Adora - 10
Zheng He looked up in the sky, it was very foggy but he had to signal the fleet of ships to go right, heading
for Africa. He couldn’t use the ship’s flags so he commanded his servants to get the firecrackers.
Zheng He sees two firecrackers in the air and thinks “Oh! That must mean the direction right!”
The sound reverberated throughout the air, the other ships must have heard it. When the sound of the
firecrackers died, the other sailors yelled “Thank goodness! Honestly, I thought that we were lost in the
middle of nowhere.”
The journey has been about seven thousand and eight hundred kilometres long, some nights on the ship
were terrifying with big waves but some days were beautiful and calm at sea. Zheng He remembered that
the emperor had sent him to lead the fleet for the fourth time, this time they were headed to Africa to give
away gifts to the tribe leader there. Zheng He sailed into new waters, to the Somali coast and down to
Kenya. When they reached Africa, many people were looking at them in fear and mesmerisation. “Oh my
god, look at this!” “I have never seen this many big ships before, they are practically three hundred feet long
each!” “Oh no, what if they are going to take us as slaves!” “This is going to be the end of our lives.” The
citizens of Africa would whisper to each other. They thought that China was going to invade them and
started shouting out things like “Please spare us! Take whatever you want, we immediately surrender!” as
they went on their knees to slowly bow down. “Please! We are just innocent people, spare us!” They would
dramatically.
Zheng He stepped out of the ship holding the gifts and said loud and clear “I don’t plan to do anything to
your country and I don’t mean any harm. I came to present your tribe leader with gifts from the one and
only Yong Le, China’s emperor, so please get off your knees. I’m just giving your leader a gift of
friendliness.”
As the residents slowly went back on their feet, they smiled at each other awkwardly. Africa’s tribe leader
also arrived in his grand carriage, having a look at why everyone was bowing down. When he stepped out
of his carriage, he was astonished at the fleet but still confused why his citizens were acting so weird.
“Good afternoon,” Zheng He said as he shook the hand of the emperor, “The emperor of China, the
mighty ruler Yong Le, would like to give you some gifts. ”
The tribe leader smiled kindly “Thank you very much, but why would you do that?”
“It’s just a present from the emperor of China, I hope that you like it. We brought porcelain, tea bags,
cosmetics, and silk.” Zheng He answered, presenting the items they brought from China.
“Thank you again, but would like anything in return?”
“Well, the mighty ruler Yong Le loves animals dearly. He believes in a mythical animal called Qi Lin that
brings luck to people near them, and Qi Lins really looked like giraffes. But of course, you don’t have to
give anything in return as this is just a kind gift.” Zheng, He answered.
The tribe leader of Africa nodded and gave some commands to his assistant in another language that is
probably African.
That night Africa’s leader invited Zheng He to stay a little longer and have dinner with him. They talked all
night, Zheng He mentioned about the fleet of ships and the how it’s like in China, the king of Africa told
Zheng He about the animals there and how life is like in Africa.