Discover the Red Dragon, a model of this Chinese junk. Still in use in many parts of Southeast Asia, these boats were used for both war and for trade. Guided by our detailed step by step instructions you can complete your replica of this traditional ship.
The appearance of the junks is documented about 600 BC. The hull has no keel and has a short stern; its sails are made of thick fabric reinforced with reeds, which provides great stability and propulsion. It was one of the most used boats to piracy off the coast of Southeast Asia.
The historian Herbert Warington Smyth recorded the great virtues of the junk, estimating that it had the most efficient naval design because it handled well with the worst weather conditions of the seas and with the difficult inland waterways.