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) The Junks were seven times larger than Christopher Columbus's sailing ship "Santa Maria".