O Junco (1986)

With an enduring presence of approximately two thousand years crossing unexplored oceans and rivers, the Chinese Junk has a prominent place in the history of sailing, being considered the imperfect perfection of maritime technology. The Junk is a very attractive vessel with a lasting aura created by the beauty and grace of its ancient forms - its segmented sails resemble a fan floating on water. After traveling countless kilometers in the People's Republic of China for this expedition, searching for ocean going junks, the film crew was granted access to the small fishing town of Sam Mei, where they finally were able to see massive three-masted junks ready to sail to the South China Sea. This is the first depiction in film of the activities of a Chinese family aboard a Junk. This film also introduces relevant facts concerning the history of the Chinese Junk over the centuries, namely Ming dynasty Admiral Zheng He's transoceanic voyages with a fleet of huge treasure ships built for exploration, which preceded in a decade the first ocean expeditions of the Portuguese caravels.