1421: The Year China Discovered America
2006.04.09–Alfred, Ohio. 1421: The Year China Discovered America by Gavin Menzies is a fascinating read. It appears to be very well researched (the first appendix is a synopsis of evidence and contains over a hundred pages and the notes contains over a dozen pages of citations. The author sailed for nearly 20 years in the British Royal Navy and had command of a submarine for two years. His evidence and experience become overwhelming to the point that I can not dismiss what he proposes.
If his thesis turns out to be true (it seems very possible, if not highly likely to me), these Chinese names will one day be as familiar as Christopher Columbus, Vasco daGamma, Captain Cook, Marco Polo, and Ferdinand Magellen: Zheng He, Hong Bao, Zhou Man, Zhou Wen, and Yang Qing.
I was particularly pleased to see the Piri Reis map of 1513 thoroughly discussed. Recall that this particular map was being discussed in another book that I was reading last July.
If you don’t have time to read the book (how sad), but find yourself interested in learning more, there is a web site of course. Here is the URL: www.1421.tv. Given that this is a history book about sailing, I found it delightful to read while cruising on the high seas in the Caribbean myself. Perfect!
