1421: The Year China Discovered America

(First published in Small World Ezine on 10 February 2003)

 

Today we are talking about the recently raised issue...
"Did the Chinese Discover America in 1421?" -- according to 
the book titled, "1421: The Year China Discovered America," 
by Gavin Menzies.

 

Gavin Menzies, the author of this book, is a former Royal 
Navy submarine commander. During his anniversary trip to 
China with his wife, he had found some charts with the 
Caribbean Islands and Florida coast in it. The chart were 
dated 70 years before Columbus'.

With more and more researches, Menzies found more and more
compelling evidence. He retraced the Chinese junks' routes 
around the globe and found shoreside marker stones, carved 
in a host of Asian languages, all over the world. 

There were also sunken junks with evidence of 
Chinese-speaking peoples in the pre-Columbian New World.
Menzies even stated that, "The first Europeans who came to 
the Americas found Chinese chickens, rice, Chinese porcelain 
and jade..."


Arguments were made, even by the Chinese, that there was
no written record whatsoever in China. Do not forget that
the Chinese are one of the most nationalist nations. If 
there was any single thing to claim they discovered America
before Columbus, they would not wait a day to announce the 
theory.

The other thing is -- the age of the marker stones and 
sunken junks were not confirmed.


However... Menzies argued that there was no records in China 
because, later, Chinese foreign policies changed, and they
had destroyed all the papers regarding the new world.


Let's look into China in 1421. It was also the year the 
Great Wall was completed. This was the time of the Ming 
Dynasty (1368-1644 A.D.). During the Ming Dynasty, China
was at its (another) peak in arts and literature as well as
foreign relations. Ming Emperor had sent their trade 
vessels everywhere the ships could reach. They traded with
everyone. It's very possible that one or more of them could
have reached one or more undiscovered continents.

But, if it happened, I do not believe all records were 
destroyed. The Chinese are too smart to let go their papers.


However, WHO CARES who discovered America? Is it going to
change anything in our lives one bit?


Even before Columbus left Europe, there were even rumours
of an island called Brazil. It was said to be one rich 
place, full of natural resources and water. Shipmen were
trying to search for it for hope to get water supply for
their around-the-world trip. They even said Columbus did
follow a Brazil map given to him by a sailor. (Info not
confirmed... I used to read about it in a children's book
I can't remember the title).

If the above is true... The place was discovered long ago, 
only the people who did it had never come back... or they
did not receive an assignment (and fund) from a King 
(Queen?) to do so. That's why there was no official mapping
and claim.


Actually the land is already there. Why do they need to be 
discovered?

If you define "discovery" as a "finding and claiming colony
by another country ," then it was certainly Columbus
who discovered America.


Everyone is aware that Columbus was not the first human 
being in America. Before him was his sailor. And before his 
sailor were already the natives. At the time, there were 
Indians all over the place (North, Central and South 
America) and the Eskimos in the colder North.

Studies show (and no doubt from looks and builds) these 
natives are Mongoloids. They walked over the Berring Strait 
from Northern Manchuria and settled in the continent
centuries before Columbus. Did they discover America? 

How about the Vikings? There was also evidence that they 
had arrived and settled in North America probably even 
before the Asians. Did they discover America?

Or if there was no exploitation, we don't count it as a 
discovery?

Did the Chinese discover America?

China not sure it 'discovered America'

1421: Official site and discussion forum

 

More:

If you asked me, I would say the Chinese had probably been
there, but they did not find anything or anybody interesting
to trade with... So they did not pay attention to the place.
I would not either when I had the rich South East Asia, 
Japan, India, and Persia to trade with. I'd be full-handed,
too busy to risk my fleet with an unexplored continent.

They probably never explored the land much. 


There are new theories everyday. During my search on this
topic, I even found another theory that Marco Polo had
probably never been in China! read it here...

Article in AsiaWeek

Did Marco Polo Go to China?