Would you believe me if I told you there decades before Columbus even set sail for the new world, that there was a massive fleet on the other side of the globe that was probably one of the greatest seagoing fleets of all time, totally 3,500 ships. This armada was constructed by the Chinese Ming dynasty called the Treasure Fleet. 

This Chinese Armada was under the Command of admiral Zheng He and he would be in charge of 7 voyages, before the fleet was eventually dismantled.The story of this fleet is really the story of Zheng He.