2021/03/03 14:40 Model of Chinese junk built by Tseng Shu-ming. Model of Chinese junk built by Tseng Shu-ming. (Taiwan News photo) TAIPEI (Taiwan News) Taiwan’s foremost expert on traditional Ming (1368-1644) and Qing dynasty (1644-1912) ships recently shared the story of the “Free China” (自由中國號) junk with Taiwan News and discussed some of the unique features of 16th and 17th-century Chinese ships, which made them superior to European-style vessels of the same era. Tseng Shu-ming (曾樹銘), a life-long resident of Keelung City, is a master model shipbuilder and the nation’s most knowledgeable person on traditional Chinese shipbuilding and maritime history. He told Taiwan News on Sunday (Feb. 28) that he has been obsessed with model making since he could wield a pair of scissors.