It is supposedly true - there were massive fleets built in the years following the end of the foreign Yuan Dynasty to prevent China's shores which sailed to lands thousands of miles away before the fleets were decomissioned. There are records of giraffes from Africa routinely appearing at public gatherings in China during the period as a kind of tourist trap.
People are difficult to govern because they have too much knowledge.
When there are more laws, there are more criminals.
- Lao Tzu