1421: the Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies
The other day I chanced to see part of a TV documentary, I think it was on The Discovery Channel, about a famous Chinese Ming dynasty admiral named Zheng He. This is what The Discovery Channel website has to say about him: “Zheng He, also known as Sanbao, lived during the Ming Dynasty. From a minority group in central Asia, he was taken captive and castrated when the Ming army conquered his native province of Yunnan. Zheng was appointed an admiral and an envoy, and visited more than 30 countries including Yemen, Iran, and even Mecca over a period of 28 years… On his first voyage, his fleet consisted of a huge ship which was probably the largest sea-going vessel of the day. It had nine masts and flew 12 sails, and was manned by more than 200 sailors. Zheng was an excellent navigator, keeping a logbook and used one of the first compasses in the world. He made nautical charts that were later called Zheng He's Nautical Charts, the first of its kind in the world…”
The documentary tells in part about the building of a huge fleet for the Emperor, commanded by Zheng He, which conducted several voyages, going as far afield as Africa. Zheng He died on a voyage to Africa. The incredible fact that sticks in my mind is that some enthusiasts, go so far as to believe that Zheng He discovered America in 1421, before Columbus did!
If you want a book for your book group that will surely spark a great deal of controversy and discussion, you should consider 1421: the Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies. My husband read the book and was fascinated: he kept reading interesting bits out to me. I later read the book and was not completely convinced by all the arguments, but found in there lots to think about. If nothing else, it opened my eyes to a lot of Chinese history and culture I had known nothing of.
Menzies, who is a former Royal Navy officer, was doing some research on his passion, ancient maps, when he came across a map dated 1424, which indicated someone knew about the Americas before Columbus. I will leave you to read the book for yourself, but maps play a very important part in the book. The author has done an incredible amount of research, citing archaeological and architectural evidence in the Americas, evidence from shipwrecks, etc., to, in his view, prove the presence of the Chinese in America before Columbus.
The book was a best seller in 2003. Controversy still reigns about its assertions. Gavin Menzies has a website http://www.1421.tv/ There is also an awful lot of sites debunking his theories, including http://www.1421exposed.com/
Read this book and tell me what you think.
The documentary tells in part about the building of a huge fleet for the Emperor, commanded by Zheng He, which conducted several voyages, going as far afield as Africa. Zheng He died on a voyage to Africa. The incredible fact that sticks in my mind is that some enthusiasts, go so far as to believe that Zheng He discovered America in 1421, before Columbus did!
If you want a book for your book group that will surely spark a great deal of controversy and discussion, you should consider 1421: the Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies. My husband read the book and was fascinated: he kept reading interesting bits out to me. I later read the book and was not completely convinced by all the arguments, but found in there lots to think about. If nothing else, it opened my eyes to a lot of Chinese history and culture I had known nothing of.
Menzies, who is a former Royal Navy officer, was doing some research on his passion, ancient maps, when he came across a map dated 1424, which indicated someone knew about the Americas before Columbus. I will leave you to read the book for yourself, but maps play a very important part in the book. The author has done an incredible amount of research, citing archaeological and architectural evidence in the Americas, evidence from shipwrecks, etc., to, in his view, prove the presence of the Chinese in America before Columbus.
The book was a best seller in 2003. Controversy still reigns about its assertions. Gavin Menzies has a website http://www.1421.tv/ There is also an awful lot of sites debunking his theories, including http://www.1421exposed.com/
Read this book and tell me what you think.
Labels: 1421, China, Chinese Fleet, Chinese Navigation, Chinese Shipbuilding, Discovery of America, Gavin Menzies, Ming Dynasty Fleet, Zheng He
posted by Elizabeth @ 9:51 AM
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2 Comments:
i just started reading this book and at first it is har to get into and im going to watch the movie as well but i dont get the first chapter of this book it's confusling to me
Gavin Menzies so-called "theory" has been largely discredited.
Full of deceit, false quotations, and comical conclusions, this book really shows what can happen when someone tries to write about history without having the knowledge or the ability to do so.
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