Table Of ContentRReeaaddeerr
TTTT hhhh eeee
GGeennrree BBuuiilldd BBaacckkggrroouunndd AAcccceessss CCoonntteenntt EExxtteenndd LLaanngguuaaggee
NNoonnfifi ccttiioonn •• OOcceeaann VVooyyaaggeess •• MMaappss •• N Noouunnss ffoorr
•• LLiiffee aatt SSeeaa •• CCaappttiioonnss SShhiippss aanndd
BBooaattss
•• C Chhiinnaa iinn tthhee •• DDeefifi nniittiioonnss
11440000ss
bbyy NNaattaalliiee CCrroossss
SSccootttt FFoorreessmmaann RReeaaddiinngg SSttrreeeett 44..55..11
ìì<<((sskk$$mm))==bbeeccaahhbb<< ++^^--ÄÄ--UU--ÄÄ--UU
IISSBBNN 00--332288--1144220077--77
11114444222200007777____CCCCVVVVRRRR....iiiinnnndddddddd CCCCoooovvvveeeerrrr1111 3333////7777////00005555 11111111::::55557777::::44442222 AAAAMMMM
Talk About It
1. How did the Chinese sailors make sure that they
had healthy food during their Treasure Fleet trips?
TT hh ee
2. What do you think the author wants us to
remember about the Treasure Fleet?
Write About It
3. Imagine that you were a sailor in the Treasure
Fleet. On a separate sheet of paper, write a diary
entry about a day aboard one of the ships.
Extend Language
There are many kinds of ships and boats, both large and
small. You have read about Treasure Fleet ships from
China and caravels from Portugal. You may have seen a
rowboat or a submarine. Can you name other kinds of
ships or boats?
Photographs
Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The
publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.
Cover ©Jonathan Potter; 1 ©The British Museum/DK Images; 2 ©ChinaStock;
3 ©Planet Art; 5 ©Digital Wisdom, Inc.; 6 (BL) ©Philadelphia Museum of Art/Corbis,
(BR) ©The British Museum/DK Images; 7 ©Yu Zheng/ChinaStock; 8 ©Jonathan Potter.
by Natalie Cross
ISBN: 0-328-14207-7
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from
the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system,
or transmission in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or likewise. For information regarding permission(s), write to: Permissions
Department, Scott Foresman, 1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025.
Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois (cid:127) Parsippany, New Jersey (cid:127) New York, New York
1 2 3 S4a 5le 6s 7O f8f i9c e1s0: NVe0eGd1h a1m4, 1M3 a1s2s a1c1h u10se 0tt9s 0(cid:127)8 D 0u7l u0t6h 0, 5Georgia (cid:127) Glenview, Illinois
Coppell, Texas (cid:127) Sacramento, California (cid:127) Mesa, Arizona
1144220077__CCVVRR..iinndddd CCoovveerr22 1144220077__0011--0088..iinndddd 11 3333////7777////00005555 11111122::::55007700::::55002255 AAPPMMMM
In the 1400s, many of the best sailors in
Europe were from Portugal. Their sailing ships,
called caravels, were light and fast. These
caravels survived the fiercest storms. In Asia,
China
many of the best sailors were from China.
Their ships and navigation were excellent.
In the early 1400s, the Ming Empire in China
wanted to trade more with other countries.
Pacific Ocean
China had silk cloth and beautiful blue and white
pottery to sell. The emperor Zhu Di decided to
build great ships to travel around the Indian
Ocean. He wanted to trade, but he also wanted
to show the world how powerful China was. China as a mapmaker pictured it in the 1400s, when the
Treasure Fleet sailed
The emperor chose his advisor Zheng He for
The Chinese
this important job. Zheng He watched over the
wanted to trade
their beautiful construction of the powerful ships. Then he took
silk cloth for
command of the newly formed Treasure Fleet.
goods from other
The plan was to send these ships to all of the
countries.
major ports in the Indian Ocean. The Chinese
would trade their goods, which were very
popular. They would also make special visits to
each country’s king or emperor. They wanted to
make sure every ruler saw their powerful ships.
They wanted everyone to know it would be a
bad idea to attack China.
trade: buy and sell things
goods: things for sale fleet: a group of ships that sail together
2 3
1144220077__0011--0088..iinndddd 22 33//77//0055 1122::0000::1144 PPMM 1144220077__0011--0088..iinndddd 33 33//77//0055 1122::0000::2211 PPMM
The Treasure Fleet visited
most of the major ports of
the Indian Ocean on its first Beijing
journey in 1405.
Persia
Hormuz
India
Life at sea was hard in Aden Arabia
Calicut
the 1400s, but the Chinese
prepared well. Several
ships in the fleet were
used to store grain, mostly
Somalia
rice. Every ship had large Malacca
Indian Ocean
water cisterns. The sailors
were careful not to waste
water. If they ran out of
water, they also knew how
to get fresh drinking water from salty seawater.
The Chinese sailors ate dried, salted fish for
The first great Treasure Fleet voyage began
protein, which people need. They drank green
in 1405. The fleet sailed south from Beijing with
tea and had fruit for dessert. Fruit was important
more than 300 ships. Almost 28,000 men were
because it had Vitamin C, which helped to
on board. One of their first stops was the trading
prevent scurvy, a disease that killed sailors all
port of Malacca, which is close to the modern city
over the world.
of Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia.
The sailors sprouted soy beans to make soy
From there the Treasure Fleet headed west,
milk and a kind of food called tofu. They brought
visiting many of the major ports of the Indian
large tubs of soil onto the ships and grew fresh
Ocean, including Calicut in India. They also
cabbages, turnips, and bamboo shoots.
visited Hormuz near Persia and Aden in Arabia.
Continuing west, they reached the coast of Africa
and visited the country that is now called Somalia.
cisterns: tanks for storing liquids
4 5
1144220077__0011--0088..iinndddd 44 33//77//0055 1122::0000::2233 PPMM 1144220077__0011--0088..iinndddd 55 33//77//0055 1122::0000::2266 PPMM
This first journey took two years and was very
successful. The Chinese traded their cargo of silk
and their beautiful white and blue porcelain
dishes and vases. They returned with spices
and exotic animals. The emperor Zhu Di was
especially delighted to see his first giraffe, an
animal unlike any he had ever seen before.
The Treasure Fleet sailed six more times over
the next thirty years. In Africa, the sailors traded
their goods for ivory, pearls, gem stones, and rare
woods and incense. Everywhere they went, the
fleet caused great excitement.
A Chinese artist drew
this picture of the giraffe
After his death,
Zheng He brought
Zheng He was
back from Africa and
honored for his
presented to emperor
brave voyages.
Zhu Di.
The Treasure Fleet made its last voyage in
1433. Zheng He and the fleet had spread China’s
fame around the world and brought glory to
his country. Plays and novels were written about
him. Handsome statues were carved and placed
in parks for all people to admire.
But soon the times would change. A new Ming
emperor took power. The emperor was worried
People in many ports about enemies that could attack China over land,
loved China’s blue and
not from the sea.
white porcelain vases.
6 7
1144220077__0011--0088..iinndddd 66 33//77//0055 1122::0000::2277 PPMM 1144220077__0011--0088..iinndddd 77 33//77//0055 1122::0000::3388 PPMM
Talk About It
1. How did the Chinese sailors make sure that they
had healthy food during their Treasure Fleet trips?
2. What do you think the author wants us to
remember about the Treasure Fleet?
Write About It
3. Imagine that you were a sailor in the Treasure
Fleet. On a separate sheet of paper, write a diary
entry about a day aboard one of the ships.
Extend Language
There are many kinds of ships and boats, both large and
small. You have read about Treasure Fleet ships from
China and caravels from Portugal. You may have seen a
rowboat or a submarine. Can you name other kinds of
ships or boats?
One of the Treasure Fleet ships
The new emperor refused to continue
exploring the world. He wanted money to build
Photographs
up the army, not the navy. Soon, the great ships Every effort has been made to secure permission and provide appropriate credit for photographic material. The
publisher deeply regrets any omission and pledges to correct errors called to its attention in subsequent editions.
of the Treasure Fleet were not used.
Cover ©Jonathan Potter; 1 ©The British Museum/DK Images; 2 ©ChinaStock;
He also had his people destroy as many of the 3 ©Planet Art; 5 ©Digital Wisdom, Inc.; 6 (BL) ©Philadelphia Museum of Art/Corbis,
(BR) ©The British Museum/DK Images; 7 ©Yu Zheng/ChinaStock; 8 ©Jonathan Potter.
ship notes and maps as they could find. China’s
ISBN: 0-328-14207-7
age of exploration was over. By the 1500s the
Copyright © Pearson Education, Inc.
countries of Europe—not the Chinese—sent
All Rights Reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
their ships across the globe to rule the seas and
conquer distant lands. This publication is protected by Copyright, and permission should be obtained from
the publisher prior to any prohibited reproduction, storage in a retrieval system,
or transmission in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying,
recording, or likewise. For information regarding permission(s), write to: Permissions
army: military forces on land
Department, Scott Foresman, 1900 East Lake Avenue, Glenview, Illinois 60025.
navy: military forces on ship at sea
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 V0G1 14 13 12 11 10 09 08 07 06 05
8
11114444222200007777____00CC11VV--RR0088..ii..nniinndddddddd CC 88oovveerr22 33//77//0055 1122::0000::4466 PPMM 33//77//0055 1111::5577::5522 AAMM
