It was too difficult to research the length. According to “Ming Historical Records ”, it was 44Zhang in its length, 18Zhang in its width(equal to 148m ’s long, 60m ’s wide) which was larger than a international-criterion football court. The ship was built by the former branch of Jiangsu official Longjiang dockyard. It was said the drainage reached 3100tons, about 2500tons weight without any nails or welding techniques, and because of that, the shipbuilding was really a miracle.

In recent years, researching from hull strength, there were some scholars calculated the thickness of the bottom plank & deck as 340mm and 380mm to endure the longitudinal bending moment. Only such thick material can construct 138m ’s high, 56m ’s wide ship, as well as ensure the hull strength.

The whole ship could be divided into 4 layers with 3 on the top. The two bellow were the ballast & grain, fresh water storage. The upper two were for the living of the sailors & solders. The second layer close to the deck was for the officials, as well as the best layer in the ship, with little shake, fine air & good vision. The third layer was the workshop, senior guestrooms & navigating cell.