Zheng He was a famous Chinese explorer.In 1405,he set off from China on the first of seven great voyages.This was nearly a century before Christopher Columbus first set sail on his journey of discovery to America.His travels were so important that they are still studied today.

Zheng he was born in Yunnan in 1371.He rose to became a trusted official of the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty.The emperor ordered Zheng He to visit and explore the lands outside China.His task was to develop relations and set up trade routes with foreign countries.In a few years,he built a great fleet of sheeps,the biggest in the world at that time.The ships were known as treasure ships.They were big enough to carry 25000 people as well as very large quantities of goods.

From 1405 to 1433,Zheng He went on seven trips and visited South-East Asia,the Middle East and even the east coast of Africa.It seemed that nowhere was too far for him to visit.these voyages allowed China to trade valuable goods like gold,silver and silk.At the end of each voyage,Zheng He returned with many things that were seen in China for the first time,such as a giraffe from Africa.Besides developing trade,the voyages also encouraged the exchange of cultures and technologies.They helped the development of those countries and regions.

Zheng He died in 1433 during his last voyage.However,his voyages were such a huge achievement that people still remenber his as a pioneer in opening up cultural contacts between different peoples around the world.

    郑和是一位著名的中国探索家，1405年，他从中国开始了七次远航的首次航行，这比哥伦布首航发现美洲早近一世纪，他的旅行如此重要以致于今天还在研究它。
   郑和1371年出生在云南，后升为明朝永乐皇帝的一名信任官员。永乐皇帝命令郑和拜访和探索中国以外的大陆，目标是和外国发展关系和建立贸易路线。几年当中，他建立了一支大船队，是当时世界最大的，这支船队被称作为宝船。足以容纳25000人和大量的商品。
   从1405年到1433年，郑和进行了七次旅程，拜访了东南亚，中东和非洲东海岸，对他来说没有太远而不能去的地方。这些航行允许中国交易珍贵的商品如金、银、丝绸。每次航行郑和返还许多在中国第一次看到的东西，如非洲的长颈鹿。除发展贸易，航行也促进了文化、科技交流，帮助了这些国家、地区的发展。
   郑和1433年在最后一次航行中去世，然而，他的航行是如此大的成就以致人们仍然记住他——作为一名开辟世界不同民族之间的文化交流先锋。（本文深圳家教·潜龙家教谭老师亲笔翻译并录入，不当之处，敬请指正，谢谢！）
龙华家教提醒您：要想得到别人的信赖和尊重，并委以重任，自己还得有一技之长。