http://worldcat.org/entity/work/id/422182535

1421 the year China discovered America

Did Christopher Columbus truly discover America, or was he preceded by more than 70 years by the Chinese, sailing in a massive Ming fleet to expand their dynasty? Background information on the preparation for and undertaking of the 7 voyages of the Chinese fleet in general is presented in detail. Also looked at are the revolutionary theories of British historian and former submarine commander Gavin Menzies, who maintains the Europeans who were credited with discovering America did so using maps drawn by the Chinese - who had been there decades before them. According to Menzies, a fleet of more than 300 giant wooden junks, led by Admiral Zheng He, was commissioned by the third Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to expand China's trade and diplomatic contacts with the outside world, and to showcase the power and influence of the dynasty. It was from maps drawn by a Venetian monk under instruction from Italian explorer Nicolo da Conti, whom Menzies claims joined the fleet in India, that the evidence of a Chinese Columbus arose. Also, material remains and DNA evidence are advanced as evidence. Compounding the mystery is the fact that subsequent Chinese emperors reversed the naval expansionist policy and the log books and maps of the great fleet were burned. Inexplicably, the Chinese then abandoned the sea for 500 years and turned inwards, away from the rest of the world. Menzies is not unchallenged in his claims, with a number of European, American and Chinese historians, archaeologists and anthropologists casting doubt on his evidence and contesting his conclusions.

Open All Close All