Zheng He: He Led Huge Fleets Across the Ocean… Decades Before Columbus
Between 1405 and 1433, the Ming admiral Zheng He led seven great voyages across the Indian Ocean with hundreds of ships — and brought home a giraffe that people thought was magic. Learn five B2 words with the true story of Zheng He.
Transcript
Tap a time to jump to that moment. Highlighted words have a meaning: tap them. Words in bold show today's grammar.
Almost ninety years before Columbus crossed the Atlantic, a Chinese sailed across the Indian Ocean with hundreds of ships.
His brought home an animal that no one in China had ever seen.
People thought it was magic.
This is the story of Zheng He.
Welcome to brightlivesenglish.com, where we teach real English using real-life stories.
. An is the most senior officer in a navy, in command of many ships.
The emperor made him the of a great .
. A is a large group of ships that sail together.
His first had more than 250 ships.
. means extremely large.
They sailed across the Indian Ocean.
. means very valuable things, like gold, silver, silk and jewels.
The ships carried such as silk and porcelain.
. is the work of building friendly relations between countries.
His voyages were mostly about , not war.
Now, one pattern: such a, adjective and noun, that.
We use it to show a strong result.
The was very big. People stared.
It was such a that people stared.
Ready? Let's begin.
Zheng He was born around 1371 in Yunnan, in the far south-west of China, into a Muslim family.
His father and grandfather had travelled all the way to Mecca.
When he was about ten, the Ming army conquered Yunnan, and the boy was taken to serve a prince.
He grew up tall and strong and became a brave soldier and a trusted officer.
When the prince became the Yongle Emperor, he gave his loyal officer a new name: Zheng He.
Then he gave him an enormous task.
In 1405, the emperor made him the of a great .
His first had more than 250 ships and about 28,000 people.
It was such a that people stared.
The biggest were giants.
Old books say they were over 120 metres long.
Many historians think they were smaller.
But they were such enormous ships that Columbus's Santa María would have looked tiny beside them.
Between 1405 and 1433, he led seven voyages.
They sailed across the Indian Ocean, to Java, Sri Lanka, India, Arabia and East Africa.
The ships carried such as silk and porcelain, as gifts for kings.
His voyages were mostly about , not war.
In Sri Lanka, his men set up a stone with a message in three languages, Chinese, Tamil and Persian, thanking three different gods.
Kings sent back to China with gifts of their own.
In 1414, one gift caused such a sensation that the whole court came to see it.
What could it be?
It had a very long neck, soft horns and gentle eyes.
It was a , which had probably come from Malindi, in East Africa.
Officials believed it was a qilin, a magical creature that appears only when a wise ruler is on the throne.
The emperor stayed modest.
He said that even without a qilin, he could rule well.
But he asked his best court painter to paint the .
A copy of that painting still exists today.
Zheng He probably died in 1433, near the end of his seventh voyage.
After him, China stopped the great voyages, and many records were lost.
Decades later, Columbus and da Gama set sail.
Zheng He had sailed these seas long before da Gama.
Let's review. The emperor made him the of a great .
His first had more than 250 ships.
They sailed across the Indian Ocean.
The ships carried such as silk and porcelain.
His voyages were mostly about , not war.
And remember: it was such a that people stared.
Zheng He's story teaches us: true strength can mean reaching out to the world with gifts, not weapons.
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Step 3
Words from the story
Say the word, guess its meaning, then flip the card. Keep the ones you know, and practise the rest again.
Great work, you know every word in this story. Now try the quiz below.
admiral noun
the most senior officer in a navy, in command of many ships
“The emperor made him the admiral of a great fleet.”
fleet noun
a large group of ships that sail together
“His first fleet had more than 250 ships.”
vast adjective
extremely large
“They sailed across the vast Indian Ocean.”
treasure noun
very valuable things, like gold, silver, silk and jewels
“The ships carried treasure such as silk and porcelain.”
diplomacy noun
the work of building friendly relations between countries
“His voyages were mostly about diplomacy, not war.”
treasure ship noun
one of the giant Chinese ships of Zheng He's fleet
“The biggest treasure ships were giants.”
giraffe noun
a very tall African animal with a long neck
“The giraffe had probably come from Malindi.”
envoy noun
a person sent by a ruler to another country with a message
“Kings sent envoys back to China with gifts.”
Grammar in the story
such + (a) + adjective + noun + that + result
We use it for: to show a strong cause and its result
- It was such a vast fleet that people stared.
- They were such enormous ships that Columbus's ship would have looked tiny.
- It caused such a sensation that the whole court came to see it.
From the story
- It was such a vast fleet that people stared.
- One gift caused such a sensation that the whole court came to see it.
Find it in the story 6 times
Your turn
It was a vast fleet that people stared.
They were such enormous ships other ships looked tiny.
The giraffe caused sensation that everyone came to see it.
Step 4
Story Challenge
9 quick rounds: choose, fill the gap, build the sentence and match the words. Answer in a row to build a streak and earn bonus points.
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Take it further
Before you watch: Which famous explorers do you know? Have you ever been on a big ship? What gift would you take to another country?
After you watch: Write three sentences with such … that. For example: It was such a hot day that we stayed inside. She is such a good cook that everyone loves her food.
Think about it: Zheng He’s fleet was huge and strong, but it mostly brought gifts, not war. Why do you think countries send gifts to each other? Is giving gifts a kind of power?
