Zheng He，the Columbus of the East，was an amazing man．
He was born in 1371 and，11 years later，was caught by the army of a rich young man called Zhu Di and made to work for him．Over time the rich man saw that Zheng He was very clever and strong and they became close friends．In 1403 Zhu Di was made the King of China and he asked Zheng He to join his new government．
The King wanted to learn more about the world and show other countries his power．He ordered many new ships to be built and made Zheng He their leader．Between 1405 and 1433，Zheng He led seven sea trips to
