[originaltext] About a hundred years ago, the people of London were amazed t

About a hundred years ago, the people of London were amazed to see an extraordinary boat come sailing up the Thames River The boat had four-cornered sails made of mats, big wooden eyes on the bow, and fantastic pictures on the stern.
    It turned out to be the Keyling, an eighty-foot junk from Foochow in distant China. The junk had sailed round the Cape of Good Hope at the southern tip of Africa, up the western coast of Africa, and finally to England. The voyage had covered fifteen thousand miles-- more than half the distance round the world.
    Although it was unexpected, the Keyling’s voyage to London was no accident. She carried a cargo of silk and ivory, as well as a number of exotic gifts from the emperor of China, destined for Queen Victoria.
    People had always mistakenly thought of the Chinese as landlubbers. From centuries of trading and seafaring in perilous seas, however, the Chinese had learned to build good boats and to sail them well. The Keyling proved that a Chinese junk could sail anywhere in the world.