Congo – 2004 – 10 Francs – KMnew Ship The Treasure Junk Acryl coin (PROOF)

Description

Under the reign of the 3rd Ming Emperor Yung Lo (1403? 1424) the largest known Junks were built in the then Chinese capital Nanking and measured approx. 140m long and 60 m wide. The only remains of these Junks, a helm, was found in a shipyard and was more than 30 meters long.
The Junk was like a floating village; with fresh water tanks, salt water filled compartments for living fish, compartments for livestock and being powered by 9 sailing masts was therefore excellently equipped for long distance sailing adventures. These kind of so-called ?Treasure Junks? had enough storage to transport even Giraffes from Africa to China for the Emperor?s Zoo.
Recently, documents were found which reported visits to Europe – France and the Netherlands. This would have meant sailing around the Cape of Good Hope. All voyages were under the command of the famous Chinese Admiral Zheng He (1371-1435)