In 1607, the nineteen-year old Xu Hongzu was captured in a pirate raid along the coast of modern Jiangsu. However, as the tiny pirate flotilla sailed back to its island base, a storm scattered the ships and destroyed the "fleet". Xu was later rescued by Spanish ships sailing nearby and he was taken as a servant by Cristobal Tellez de Almanza, the Governor-General of the Philippines. Learning to speak Spanish quickly, he was soon taken to Spain in 1608 by Almanza and was taken an interest by Philip III of Spain for his ability to create accurate maps and his natural talent for languages. Xu was eventually released and traveled to various European courts, but eventually refrained from public activities and instead, concentrated on writing in his journal at the court of Spain in 1615 due to s