Emperor Sui Yang's Big Dragon Boat

In 640, Emperor Sui Yang of the Sui Dynasty ordered the construction of a dragon boat and scores of other ships for a trip to Yangzhou (of today's Jiangsu Province in East China). The ship taken by Emperor Sui Yang was 15 meters high and 66 meters long. There were two palaces on the top floor and 120 rooms on the two middle floors, richly decorated with gold and jade . Besides, there were nine three-story dragon boats in the fleet.

To build a big multiple-storeyed dragon boat, a great deal of timber was needed for the hull (ship's frame). In order to connect the short timbers, the keel (lengthwise wooden structure along the ship's base) frame and the shipboard, as well as the hull and the building, mortise-and-tenon joints (in which one piece of wood is inserted into the hole of another piece) were employed. The dragon boats, as a result, were much stronger than those connected with iron or bamboo nails.

A model of the treasure ship

  Zheng He's Treasure Ship of the Ming Dynasty

The leading ship in Zheng He's fleet was called the treasure ship, which was a Fu-chuan junk, the model suitable for oceangoing voyages. Featuring a sharp bottom, a broad deck, a sharp bow (front end), and a square stern (rear end), the treasure ship could easily ride the waves and had sound stability. Though as high as a multiple-storey building, the treasure ship was very comfortable.

The treasure ship was the most advanced sea boats sailing along the sea route between China's South Sea and the West Seas, and also were the world's largest wooden sailboats in the ancient times.

Author: Jessie