Zheng He's Voyages
鄭和下西洋
Early in the 15th century, a huge fleet of ships set sail from Nanjing. It was the first of a series of voyages that would, for a brief period, establish China as the leading power of the age. The voyage was led by Zheng He, the most important Chinese adventurer of all time and one of the greatest sailors the world has ever known.
15世紀初，一支浩浩蕩蕩的船隊從南京啟航。這次遠航揭開了其後一連串海上航行的序幕，並在短暫時間內為中國確立了大國領先的地位。鄭和統帥了這次遠航，他是中國歷史上最重要的探險家，也是舉世聞名的最偉大的航海家之一。
In 1371, Zheng He was born in what is now Yunnan Province to Muslim parents, who named him Ma Sanpao When he was 11 years old, invading Ming armies captured Ma and took him to Nanjing. There he was castrated and made to serve as a eunuch in the imperial household.
公元1371年，鄭和出生在現在的雲南省的一個穆斯林家庭裡。他的父母給他取名為馬三保。馬三保11歲時，被入侵雲南的明軍擄至南京，被淨身後入宮，選去王府做內宮太監。
Ma befriended a prince there who later became the Yong Le Emperor, one of the Ming Dynasty's most distinguished. Brave, strong, intelligent and totally loyal, Ma won the trust of the prince who, after ascending the throne, gave him a new name and made him Grand Imperial Eunuch.
馬三保在王府期間和王太子成為了好朋友，王子後來成為明成祖永樂皇帝，是明代最出色的皇帝之一。馬三保英勇、強壯、足智多謀，又赤膽忠心，因此深得王太子的信賴。王太子登基之後，賜給馬三保“鄭和”這個新的名字，同時提升他為內宮監太監。
Yong Le was an ambitious emperor who believed that China's greatness would be increased with an "open-door" policy regarding international trade and diplomacy. In 1405, he ordered Chinese ships to sail to the 1ndian Ocean, and put Zheng He in charge of the voyage. Zheng went on to lead seven expeditions in 28 years, visiting more than 40 countries.
永樂皇帝是個雄心勃勃的皇帝，他相信通過國際貿易及外交上的“門戶開放”政策，中國會在世界上享有更高的聲望。公元1405年，永樂皇帝下詔讓中國船隊遠航到印度洋，並派遣鄭和負責此趟航程。在以後的28年裡，鄭和連續7次率領了海上遠征探險的壯舉，訪問了40多個國家。
The voyages helped expand foreign interest in Chinese goods such as silk and porcelain. In addition, Zheng He brought exotic foreign items back to China, including the first giraffe ever seen there. At the same time, the fleet's obvious strength meant that the Emperor of China commanded respect and inspired fear all over Asia.
這幾次遠航剌激了外國對中國貨物如絲綢、瓷器等的興趣。此外，鄭和也將外國的珍奇寶物帶回中國，包括以前沒見過的麒麟(長頸鹿)。同時，鄭和船隊顯而易見的強大陣容，意味著中國皇帝獲得了亞洲各國的敬畏。
Though Zheng He died in 1433 and was probably buried at sea, a grave and small monument to him still exist in Jiangsu Province. Three years after Zheng He's death, a new emperor banned the construction of oceangoing ships, and China's brief era of naval expansion was over.
鄭和於公元1433年去世，並且可能葬身於汪洋大海之中，但江蘇省現在仍有他的墳墓和一座小型紀念碑。鄭和死後3年，新登基的皇帝下詔禁止遠洋船舶的建造，中國這短暫的海軍擴張時代也就到此結束了。
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