1421 - The Year The Chinese Discovered America

[KOROHO]

A few years ago I was in the Tokyo National Museum and coul dnot believe what I was looking at. There was a map showing the Americas that pre-dated Columbus. I spent the last 3 years thinking that the Japanese mapped the west and couldn't understand why this was never discussed.

It turns out they either have, or copied, a Chinese map.

A few weeks ago I stumbled across the book "1421: The Year The Chinese Discovered America". Sure, there were already people here, so they didn't "discover it". But they circumnavigated the globe and mapped it before anyone else. I have not had time to read the book yet, and we have the DVD coming from NetFlix.

The author of the book belives that after the great voyages, the next dynasty put an end to such travels and may even have purged the educated people who knew of this and it was just never widely known. Then 70 years later "Columbus" "discovered" America and the rest as they say "is history".

The maps are astounding. But there's more evidence than that, including roads and structures and other artifacts. It's defineitly worth checking out the book.

 

[Cruentus]

Anyone got any E-pics of these maps?

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I have read the same thing and for the life of me cannot remember the name of the Chinese Captain. He was very famous but as you said the next dynasty put a stop to that type of exploration. If I find my son's book on the subject I will follow up with the Chinese Explorer's name.

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

 

[KOROHO]

I should have posted the web link. Sorry

http://www.1421.tv/

There are some maps here.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

His name is Zheng He and here is a link to some info :
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/03/04/nexp04.xml

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

 

[matt.m]

That is very cool. I am not suprised at all, very interesting knowledge though.

 

[Xue Sheng]

Who wrote the book?

There was a book that claimed that the Chinese had circumnavigated the globe, but it was proven to be pretty much unfounded. the alleged proof was proved nothing.

As for the Chinese discovering America in 1491, that I couldn't say anything about.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

I remember that book and the author being on some TV show. However,
I believe that current finding's are turning the other way. I am not for sure though.

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

 

[MA-Caver]

Ok, now wait a second. Playing the maps (animated journeys with text) it said they deposited some sailors (survivors of the hurricane) off Cuba? And then went on to say they mined Uranium?

Did all the survivors die in Cuba? Or were they picked up later? Because I don't recall anyone saying anything about seeing Chinese in Cuba.

What in God's name would they be mining Uranium for in the 1400's anyway?

Something fishy about it. Me thinks.

 

[KOROHO]

I have not read anything about Cuba and urnanium yet.
Can you post the link to this map and text?

I would assume that they did not know of the radioactive properties and had intended to use it for something else. Of course the results would have been disastrous.

 

[Brian R. VanCise]

One thing is for sure one way or the other it is going to be very, very
hard to prove that he sailed the world. Or on the other hand disprove.

Brian R. VanCise
www.instinctiveresponsetraining.com

 

[mrhnau]

wasn't there some debate that vikings were here ealier? like in the early 1000's?

 

[Xue Sheng]

wasn't there some debate that vikings were here ealier? like in the early 1000's?

Actually they were in Nova Scotia I believe.

 

[Nomad]

wasn't there some debate that vikings were here ealier? like in the early 1000's?

Yes, archeological digs have found viking settlements from much earlier than 1492 in Canada (^^^ Nova Scotia or Newfoundland sound right to me). Not sure of the years involved, only that it was much earlier than Columbus.

America has been "discovered" several times over the years... :uhyeah:

 

[Xue Sheng]

Did the Chinese discover America?
http://www.cnn.com/2003/SHOWBIZ/books/01/13/1421/

I remember this now; this is a book by Menzies. Most Chinese scholars in China do not agree. There are many translation errors he is guilty of in his interpretation that he put in his book that make it incorrect.

I do not remember all of the details but I do remember Menzies could not defend his position against the questions from China. Most agree with the date of the trip the Chinese fleet left China but they absolutely do not support the belief that the Chinese discovered America or circumnavigated the earth. They believe that some of the ships from the treasure fleet may have gotten as far as the West coast of Africa, but there is no proof of that either. And the other places he is using for proof the Chinese were there have been disprove.

Yes the Chinese were the first to have watertight compartments on their ships and what they did was amazing for the time, but the archeological evidence that Menzies is using is either not there or not correct.

 

[ginshun]

I have not heard of Chinese explorers before, but I think it is reletively well established that Norse / Viking mariners were in North America well in advance of Columbus. Probably by a good couple of hundred years.

The reason that Columbus gets the credit, is that once he was here, there were always Europeaons here continuosly in one settlement or another, while the Viking (and maybe Chinese) settlements died out for one reason or another.

 

[Rich Parsons]

I have not heard of Chinese explorers before, but I think it is reletively well established that Norse / Viking mariners were in North America well in advance of Columbus. Probably by a good couple of hundred years.

The reason that Columbus gets the credit, is that once he was here, there were always Europeaons here continuosly in one settlement or another, while the Viking (and maybe Chinese) settlements died out for one reason or another.

I believe it was Eric the Red who had come to North America by way of Iceland (* nice spot hence the bad name to keep peopel away *) to Greenland, (* Not so nice a spot but a better name to get people thinking about going *), to Canadian North East and even as far down as North East USA. The time frame I believe for this was late 10th century, i.e. about 980 AD.

And once again there were natives here already.

 

[ginshun]

I believe it was Eric the Red who had come to North America by way of Iceland (* nice spot hence the bad name to keep peopel away *) to Greenland, (* Not so nice a spot but a better name to get people thinking about going *), to Canadian North East and even as far down as North East USA. The time frame I believe for this was late 10th century, i.e. about 980 AD.

And once again there were natives here already.

yup, that sounds about right.

 

[Xue Sheng]

From http://www.histclo.com/eco/vod/eco-vod.html

The reader digest version (below) that pretty much sums it up rather well, no mention of discovering America or circumnavigating the world. Many Chinese historians do not believe this fleet did either, but they do believe they got as far as the article below says they did. It is also possible, but not proven that a few ships from this fleet got as far as the west coast of Africa, but not to America.

Chinese Treasure Fleet (1405-33)

Less well known than the European exploers is Chinese Admiral Zheng He (1371-1433) who commanded a great Chinese fleet during the early pahse of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). Zhenh He just decadeds before the Portuguese tentatively inched south along the western coast of Africa, sailed a great fleet as far west as the Persian Gulf and the eastern coast of Africa. His fleet dwarfed not only the fleets of the early European explorers, but the exceeded that of the comboned fleets of the European nations in the early 15th century. His fleet had 27,870 men on 317 ships, and was staffed with clerks, interpreters, soldiers, artisans, doctors, carographers, meteorologists as well as sailors. Zheng was a ethnic Hui Muslim boy from in Yunnan province (southwest China) whose grandfather and father had traveled overland to Mecca. He grew up speaking Arabic as well as Chinese, and acquired considerable knowledge about the world and its geography and customs. As a boy he was a friend of a Chinese prince who became emperor and made his friend “Admiral of the Chinese Fleet.” The emperor in 1405 chose Zheng to command the largest naval expedition in history up to that time (1405) Zheng during the next 28 years commanded seven fleets (1405-33). The Chinese reacted very differently to their contact with the West than the West was to react to China. After Zheng's seventh voyage, the emperor ordered the costly fleet dismantled and China concluded that there was little the West offered that was of interest or value.