Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 161

New Tales of Ming Treasure Voyages
Korean International School, Tsoi, Mimi - 13
‘On July 10, 1405, Admiral Zheng and his sailors gathered in a banquet hall to celebrate their first voyage.
The feeling in the room was one of excitement, which was exaggerated by the wine they were drinking.
“Comrades, we are setting off across the Indian Ocean. It can be very dangerous, and you should follow my
instructions to stay safe. You have been selected because you proven yourself intelligent and physically
strong. Have faith in your abilities. Bon voyage!”The room erupted in cheers.
The next morning, the crew set off from Nanjing with the rising sun. Their ship carried gold
brocade, silks and silk gauze. They were intended to be gifts for the neighbouring countries they would
visit. Xin He felt nervous, this was the first time he had been out in the ocean. He was afraid of running
into unanticipated problems. What if they ran into pirates? What if there was a storm the crew could not
handle? But his excitement and joy from being an explorer of the sea outweighed his fears.
The crew sailed for many days; they were in fact a very peaceful few days. One day, Xin He
looked out on the horizon and he saw mountains emerge. The Mountains of Ceylon! The ship prepared to
dock. When their ship dock they arrive their first country he went to the palace with his sailor. When he
arrived the palace he took out the gifts and gave it to the king .The king at this country feel very happy and
decided to be friend with Xin's country.He success this time and made him feel more confident.He is
looking forward to traveling to the next country.
The imperial court called for a second voyage in October 1407. The fleet set sail first to India.
They were ordered to go to the Calicut palace to give a tablet to the King, Mana Vikram. It was an
acknowledgement of his sovereignty. The king was very happy and pleased to receive the gift and this act
improved the relationship between the two countries.
Xin He was very pleased himself with the results of their first quest. HE felt somewhat
apprehensive about the fleet’s second. The fleet was to settle the hostility between Indonesia and China,
which had arisen as a result of an accidental killing of 170 members of the Chinese embassy in a civil war.
The Chinese emperor had demanded 60000 liang of gold and an apology. When the ship arrived on the
shores of Indonesia, it was immediately welcomed by Indonesian diplomats. Xin He was relieved. HE
thought they might encounter resistance and would have to fight. THe fleet was brought to the Indonesian
palace and the King apologised. The truth was neither party wanted another war, especially for the sake of
an accidental killing of 170 men.
The ship set sail to Pulau Sembilan in the Strait of Malacca. Their last task was to cut wood to
make incense. The work was hard on the body. Xin He and his mates cut 6 logs of wood, each 2 meters
wide in diameter. The wood was beautiful, it was black and with a very fine pattern. They moved the wood
to the ship, which took a whole day. Xin He ate 2 suppers worth of food that night. He could not wait to
get home.
The third voyage was called for in February 1409. The ship sail for a month and arrived in
Changle. It stopped in Champa, Java, Malacca, Demeurera, Ceylon, Quilon, Cochin and Calicut. The
emperor had ordered the fleet to trade in these locales for goods not found at home. It was a peaceful
journey until on their way home, they encountered King Alakeshwara of India. The Chinese army felt that
Alakeshwara and his people were rude, disrespectful and hostile. There was already a feeling of hostility from
the acts of theft these people had committed against neighbouring countries who were allies of China. The
war was successful. Xin He captured the King and his family in a brawl with swords. They were brought
back to the emperor. When they presented the captives to the sovereign, he was impressed by the power of
his army. Alkshvara begged for his and his family’s lives. The emperor felt that Alakshvara had learned his
lesson and let him go.
Xin He recounted his adventures on the Ming Treasure Ship. He never could have imagined the
things that he saw and the things that he did. He felt emotional just thinking about how lucky he had been
to experience these journeys. He wanted to record this passages; he knew that they needed to be shared. He
hoped that these stories would be remembered for generations to come. XIn He looked out to the horizon
with anticipation of the coming voyages.