anybody read this book? I read this book with great joy and enthusiasm.
as a big fan of chinese history,I would love to discuss about this topic.
Thank you.!
Gavin Menzies
Published by Bantam Press, London
"¡¦On the 8th of March, 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen sailed from its base in China. The ships, huge junks nearly five hundred feet long and built from the finest teak, were under the command of Emperor Zhu Di's loyal eunuch admirals. Their mission was 'to proceed all the way to the end of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas' and unite the whole world in Confucian harmony. The journey would last over two years and circle the globe.
When they returned Zhu Di lost control and China was beginning its long, self-imposed isolation from the world it had so recently embraced. The great ships rotted at their moorings and the records of their journeys were destroyed. Lost was the knowledge that Chinese ships had reached America seventy years before Columbus and circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan. They had also discovered Antarctica, reached Australia three hundred and fifty years before Cook and solved the problem of longitude three hundred years before the Europeans¡¦"
I can't believe that map date 1421, it's almost perfect especially Africa and Europe. Even in the 18th we were not capable or drawing such accurate map.
Ive read it and got it on my self. Its pretty interesting, but as soon as he goes beyond the Cape of Good Hope, most of his writing is conjecture, with occasional evidence thrown in.
He has pretty much nothing to show up as evidence for the voyage north around Greenland and Eurasia, for example.
In total, some 34 different lines of evidence have been found to support the theory that the Chinese circumnavigated and charted the globe, a century before the Europeans staked claim to having done so. The evidence is overwhelming, and encompasses both physical entities, (such as shipwrecks of Chinese junks in America, Australasia and Indonesia,) and examples such as the carved stones of Africa, the remains of Chinese peoples in South America, and artefacts scattered all over the world, inscribed with Chinese characters, in Chinese styles, and some successfully dated back to before the arrival of the Europeans. There also exists more circumstantial evidence such as the linguistic, ceremonial and spiritual similarities between the Chinese culture and those of other parts of the world in the fifteenth century. The linguistic similarities found between place names in Peru and Chile are heavily supportive of the notion that the Chinese exerted a huge influence there, in pre-Columbian times. The new evidence to be revealed in the forthcoming paperback edition in October 2003 is the most explosive yet, and will surely leave no doubts as to the veracity of 1421’s claims. "
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Next Generation Stealth err Invisible Fighter. The F-22 Raptor
There are several such theories in the internet about Vikings,Irish,Greeks and Phoenicians i think.
Personally ,i can't understand how the Piri Reis map (first one) is used as proof?Piri Reis himself in his diary wrote that he used ancient cources to compile the map.He didn't say they were chinese maps.Actually nobody knows what maps they were,he didn't specify it.
Even a greater mystery about the Piri Reis Map, is that it not only shows Antartica, but also the actual coast line, that is the continent itself without the ice.
Only in this century scientist could measure the actual continent under the ice, meaning the map of Piri Reis predates the time Antartica (or a part of it) was under the ice.
But the last time Antartica (or a part of it) wasnt under ice was perhaps 50000 years ago or even more.
So we have possibly a map of 50000 years old or even older. Which civilization could have made this. Very creapy to think about it.
The reason why I belive Chenghe's exploring story is because of the one map(½®ÀïˆD) that had been remained in Korea from Chosun dynasty. It drew the world shape very similiarly with today's correct map.
It was made in 1402 and the two astronomers who made the map are known that they gathered information from MIng dynasty so I belived the Chenghe's story from long time ago.
These are two copies of the Kangnido. The one on the left dates 1402 whilst the one on the right 1420. The Kangnidos bear a close resemblance to the Da Ming Hun Yi Tu, but since the place names appear in its original Mandarin Chinese, much more information could be gathered from it. The Kangnidos identify thirty-five names indicated on or near the African continent.
Most of these names are derived from Arabic. The lighthouse of Alexandria is clearly visible on the map, with the Mandarin Characters which reads Msir ¨C the Arabic name for Egypt. Between the west coast and the inland water body is an area named Sang-ku, which is believed to be a transliteration of the Arabic word Zangue or Black People. The Kangnido on the right also contains the Chinese transcription Zhebulu hama, which scholars identified as Persianized Arabic Djebel alqamar or "Mountains of the Moon.''
Added to the detail provided in the Da Ming Hun Yi Tu the Kangnidos also identify a river flowing westward in the Southern part of Africa, which corresponds to the Orange River. The addition of this detail on the Atlantic side of the Kangnidos, suggest that the mapmaker could only have gained this information from sources that rounded the Cape of Good Hope.
The landmass protruding on the right hand side of the African continent is believed to be the Arabian Peninsula. The island east of Arabia is named Hai-tao, which apparently represents Sri Lanka (Ceylon). To the east of Sri Lanka, we find the triangular shape of India with a river, believed to be the Ganges River, flowing through it. The long river emerging from the South on the right of the Indian subcontinent is labelled He Shui (¡°Black River¡±), which refers to the Salween River that flows through the Tibetan plateau. Along the coast from China to Africa, the following major rivers are thus laid out in sequence the Red, Mekong, Menam, Salween, Ganges, Indus, Tigris, and Euphrates.
Contact with Arabs resulted in the use of Arab names on the African east coast as well as northern Africa, however, the knowledge of the interior parts of Southern Africa, even prior to Zheng He¡¯s journeys, remains one of the greatest puzzles emanating from these maps, as well as the Da Ming Hun Yi Tu. The Government of Japan assisted Parliament in locating these maps and the late Prime Minister of Japan, the Honourable Keizo Obuchi, presented a copy of 1402 Kangnido to the Speaker of the National Assembly.
Throughout his seven voyages Zheng He visited more than 30 countries and managed to collect marvellous treasures and tribute for the Ming Emperor.
Shen Tu¡¯s painting documents the arrival in Beijing of an African giraffe presented to the Ming Emperor in October 1415, as a gift from the ruler of the Kingdom of Malindi in Kenya.The special significance of this event for the Chinese is reflected in the text accompanying the painting:
¡°Now in the twelfth year, in a corner of the Western Sea, in the stagnant waters of the great marsh, a Ch'i-lin has in truth been found; some fifteen feet in height, its body that of a deer and with the tail of an ox, with a fleshy horn without bone and luminous spots like red cloud in a purple mist. Its hooves do not trample on living creatures and it moves with careful tread, walking in a stately manner and with a continuous rhythm. Its harmonious voice has the sound of a bell or musical chime. Benevolent is this creature whose manifestation of divine spirits reaches up to the abode of Heaven. Ministers and people together vie to be the first to gaze upon the joyous spectacle, a true token of Heaven's aid and a proclamation of Heaven's favour. How glorious is the Sacred Emperor whose literary and military virtues are most excellent, who has succeeded to the Precious Throne and has achieved Perfect Order in imitation of the Ancients.¡±
In Chinese mythology the Ch¡¯i-lin was a special creature that appeared only to those with the ¡°purest of spirit¡±. It is, like the unicorn in Western mythology, a symbol of good fortune. The confusion around this event was further exacerbated by Admiral Zheng He¡¯s report upon presenting the gift to the Emperor. According to the records, Zheng He reported that the local people of Malinda also referred to this animal as Ch¡¯i-lin, and by presenting the animal as tribute to the Chinese Emperor they acknowledged his supreme status. Scholars however argue that Zheng He (understandably) confused the Somali word for giraffe, girin for the Chinese word Ch¡¯i-lin
Chinese blood? Some inhabitants of the African island of Pate believe they're descended from Chinese sailors.
1492: The Prequel
Decades before Columbus, Zheng He sailed from China with 300 ships and 28,000 men. His fleet got as far as Africa and could have easily reached America, but the Chinese turned back. What happened?
the marvelous thing about Cheng He's trip lies in his technocal equipment. His flagships are measured to be over 4000 tons in displacement, several times the size of European ships even a century later.
too bad we didn't continue our maritime tradition, but hey we are the world's no. 3 ship builder and will probably be the no. 1 shipbuilder in a decade. Admiral Zheng He should will then rest in peace. BTW, he was a muslim
>> He has pretty much nothing to show up as evidence for the voyage north around Greenland and Eurasia, for example. <<
Yes, the maps of Greenland, Iceland and parts of North America are either fakes or based on information from the Norse travels that they have gotten second-hand somewhere.
Admiral Zheng He should will then rest in peace. BTW, he was a muslim
I know that, this nobleman Visiting our country also when majority our ppls still had Hindu as theirs religion 'N btw he built many building especially mosque in many city in north java,one of those building i had visited in Semarang is awesome had mix of Chinese, Java,Arabic art/culture, many of those building become Taoism and Buddhism temple this day
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1. BELIEF IN THE ONE SUPREME GOD
2. A JUST AND CIVILIZED HUMANITY
3. THE UNITY OF INDONESIA
4. DEMOCRACY GOVERNED BY THE WISDOM OF THE DELIBERATION AND REPRESENTATION
5. SOCIAL JUSTICE FOR THE WHOLE OF THE PEOPLE
"Be extremely subtle, even to the point of formlessness. Be extremely mysterious, even to the point of soundlessness. Thereby you can be the director of the opponent's fate."
-Sun-tzu, The Art of War. Emptiness and Fullness
In fact, there are texts in Tamil and Pali literature from the 6th-7th century describing Hellenistic temples of Greece, defining Egyptian pyramids, and as far as defining Peruvian civilization and the Aztecs...
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17th century India, The Masters of the Oceans...
"If you read the chinese chronicles, they got all of their knowledge of the west from european travelers."
Hawkass havent yu heard of the "bitch boy" that's what is talking about.LOL.LOL
Anyway back on the subject THERE ARE NO SUCH CHRONICALS don't bother wasting time on this item.
"If you wish to show your true love for me,
Come to me with a promise to accept martyrdom.
Those who follow my instructions,
Must be ready to sacrifice their lives for the faith."
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
Do you mena "bitch boy" as in china bitch slapped indian in 1962?"
Oh hawakass man yu got it all wrong ..i meant NOTHING AGAINST you or china ... by 'bitch boy' i was referring to adsj and his chronicals... the "bitch boy"(adsj) who claimes chinese chronicals which show chinese getting their knoweledge of navigation from west ...actually what i meant that there are NO SUCH CHRONICALS in history that idicate that ming dynasty ocean going voyages under Zheng He were learned from western travelers which this 'bitch boy'(adsj) claims in his so called chinese chroniclas.... GOT IT! .. and at the end also i told yu dont not to waste time on this ITEM( by item i meant adsj) becoz all you would get in return is the "bitch boy" chronicals. The "bitch boy" is the pet name i have kept for him(adsj)... this guy biggest racist on the network go check my posts in his EUROPE AND ASIA thread where i have adressed him with his pet name and replied to his dumb post, check here:
now kindly APOLOGIZE,you have taken it absolutley the other way.
"If you wish to show your true love for me,
Come to me with a promise to accept martyrdom.
Those who follow my instructions,
Must be ready to sacrifice their lives for the faith."
(Sri Guru Granth Sahib)
I happen to know why Madagascar is very different from mainland Africa on account of my World Regional Geography course. The people are descendents of Polynesian traders, thus their langauge is a Polynesian dialect, and the main crop is rice instead of wheat or something.
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The boorishness of Bolton; the careless arrogance of Rice; the dictatorial hectoring of Rumsfeld - these constitute the embodiment of America that Bush wishes to present to the world. He imagines himself as the latter-day Savior of our planet, and this dismal trio are his Chosen People. This is Diplomacy, Bush Style. -Brian Cloughey
Current Topic - 1421 The Year China Discovered the World
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