China's Great Armada

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Crossing these "monkey bridges," as these spindly structures are called, requires the agility of a simian.
The fishing fleet at Nha Trang harbor.
Large catches can still be had off the beaches south of Halong Bay.
Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam. People are granted the privilage of boiling seawater to make salt.
Traders meet at the confluence of five canals at Phung Hiep.
Traders meet at the confluence of five canals at Phung Hiep.
Traders meet at the confluence of five canals at Phung Hiep.
A young son trusts his father will not tip the boat at the floating market in Phung Hiep.
Experienced sampan scullers use their feet as well as their hands.
The growing season is year-round in the Delta's hot and humid climate.
Marigolds grow over the waer, much of Zheng He grew vegetables on the decks of his ships.
Flower growers and sellers do a brisk business for the Tet New Year in Cantho Market.
These bamboo bucket boats in Nha Trang have not changed since Zheng He's visits here 600 years ago.
There's no escaping the teacher's attention in a one-room schoolhouse in the Mekong Delta.
The great kingdom of Angkor reached its height between the 9th and 13th centuries. Less than a century after Zheng He visited...
A baby sleeps, cradled in a fishing net in Siem Riep.
Floating fish farmers anchor along the shores fo the great lake Tonle Sap near Siem Riep.
Stilt houses stand on the edge of Tonle Sap in Kampong Chhang. Zheng He's chronicler Fei Hsin called Kampang Chhang the south...
Two fisherman confront the raging cataracts of Khone Falls, gingerly tossing their nets to catch fish as they jump through th...
Haunting ruins, like these at Angkor Thom, are all that remain of the spectacular kingdom of Angkor.
Wat Si Chom, Sukhothai, Thailand: the chronicles of the journey written by Ma Huan mention the Thai devotion to Buddha and la...
The gilded ruins of Ayutthaya, like these at Wat Phra Mahathat, which was the capital when Zheng He visited in 1407, hint at ...
Tourists ride elephants once reserved for kings.
Monks of Wat Phanan Choeng dedicate their prayers to their god of prosperity, San Bao, as Zheng He is known here. He is also ...
The 62 ft (19 m) high San Bao Buddha in Ayutthaya is worshiped by draping saffron-colored cloth over the Buddha's shoulders a...
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