While Zheng He's treasure ships mostly carried Chinese luxuries to present to foreign courts in order to establish tributary relations, they also brought home a few unique gifts such as this giraffe. Zheng He obtained this seemingly mystical creature from the king of Bengal, who had originally obtained it as a gift from the king of Malindi on the Swahili coast. In 1415 when the treasure fleet returned home to China, Zheng He presented the giraffe to emperor Zhu Di as a gift.
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