If I had a time machine.
If I had a time machine, I would have gone back to Ming Dynasty serving as a sailor for navigation and following Zheng He as much as possible.
As is known to all, Zheng He, not only a great navigator but also a pioneer, who took Zhu Di’s order, had made a large number of voyages in the Southeast Sea and visited lots of countries since 1403, which is a symbol of courage and friendship nowadays inspiring people to keep on going and never give up. What impresses me most is, during the expedition, there was full of peace with advanced technology and valuable goods, rather than brutality or violence to cause slaughters. That’s the main reason attracting me to join the admirable fleets.
If I lived in that age, deep blue sea having enlarged my conception of exploring the wonderful world to satisfy my curiosity and adventurous spirit, I would have made a difference to change the historical proceed so as to avert the degeneration of China. I would have managed to persuade those rulers in Ming Dynasty, who were complacent, proud of nation’s prestige, and hadn’t realized the significance of expanding the domain and studying technology, to concentrate more on development and turn maritime trade into an official and popular occupation instead of being banned by government later, thus encouraging nationals to engage in open activities and avoiding the inhibition of the primitive accumulation of capital and cultural communication with outside. Then it could have brought the naissance of revolution and the first light of natural science before western countries-at least it would have enlightened people in a large sense.