Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 | Page 82

History Class…
Harrow International School Hong Kong, Tai, Andrew - 14
The feeble worn out curtains could not block out the scorching heat radiating from the sun. It felt
like a heater was inches away from my face, which was a refreshing contrast to the AC gently breezing into
the room.
“...and that was how the first emperor of the Ming dynasty died after ruling for a measly 30 years.”
How much longer do I have to bear this? Wait, how many times have I been in this situation
today? I wondered to myself, slouched over my desk. As my history teacher continued rambling on about
ancient Chinese history, my eyes slowly drooped and the desk never looked so alluring…
“Since we are done with this topic, we can start discussing our next topic, which is the MING
TREASURE VOYAGES.” I immediately shot upwards, full of enthusiasm which I previously lacked. In
the process, my friend snoring next to me almost toppled over in shock. I could sense the eyes of everyone
in the class upon me, scrutinizing my actions. The teacher slowly tilted his head towards me, as if in slow
motion, before hesitantly continuing, “Um, would you like to start this conversation, Ms Smith?”
“Actually, I don’t think there is any reason as to why we would need to learn such an unnecessary
topic…” A voice muttered out from the back of the room. I swivel around to find myself glaring at the
source of the voice. It was Will, the one person in the class that no one ever noticed since he always had
that nose of his in a book. I had never even seen him open his mouth, much less talk. Who does he think he
is anyway, trying to spoil MY moment of recognition?
“Oh really? Why don’t you tell us why you think this way, WILL.” I uttered aloud, straining my
voice to keep myself from literally exploding into an angry rampage. When I finally cooled down and
retreated to my seat, Will began talking.
“You see, the Ming Emperor was trying to befriend China’s neighbouring countries, and I get that.
What wasn’t necessary was giving extravagant gifts to these countries in exchange for just about nothing. It
was a huge waste of not just precious resources and materials, but also time, as the Chinese could have used
this time to continue inventing and advancing technology in order to get an even bigger edge over their
enemies.”
I was stunned. In fact, the entire room was completely silent.
“D-did you consider the benefits of these voyages though?” I stuttered, trying not to seem too
intimidated, and failing miserably. After another prolonged period of silence, in which I perceived as a no, I
attempted to make this debate less one-sided.
“Zheng He, the leader who commanded those ships, mapped out a huge portion of the coastline of
Southeast Asia and paved the way for many new trade routes throughout Asia. Without these very voyages,
China would not be nearly as successful in the trade industry as they are now.”
Will immediately shot back at me, “Did you actually look into the Ming Voyages or did you make
that up? Zheng He did not do any good for the country. He backstabbed those diplomats that supported and
funded him after every failed voyage.”
At this point, Will was so red in the face that a blushing tomato wouldn’t be a good enough
comparison.
“Your complete lack of knowledge about the Ming voyages is a disgrace to the Chinese and their
culture, so can you please stop making a fool of yourself and just-” Will seemed to realise at that instant that
he went completely overboard.
Nothing in the classroom moved as much as an inch. It was so quiet you could hear a feather settle
onto the ground. The ringing of the school bell broke the seemingly impenetrable air of silence that had
formed. Then slowly, one by one, the others slowly started packing their bags. There was no noise other
than the shuffling of chairs and the packing of bags. Soon, I, Will and the teacher were the only people left.
Filled to the brim with embarrassment and guilt, I sluggishly turn around to face Will, about to apologise for
my outrageous behaviour.