During the early Ming dynasty (1405-1433), long before Columbus ever crossed the Atlantic, Chinese Admiral Zheng He led seven massive naval expeditions that sailed to Southeast Asia, India, Arabia, and even the coast of Africa. The fleet reportedly included 317 ships and nearly 28,000 crew members. They sailed with advanced navigation techniques, using magnetic compasses and detailed star charts, centuries before the West’s “Age of Exploration.”The ships returned with giraffes, zebras, ivory, and spices. Then, the emperor who supported them died, and almost as if erased from history, the voyages stopped.