[en] Zheng He, discovered America?

[Richard]

I was searching around the web about Zheng He, a Chinese explorer during the early 15th century, and the great treassure fleet, when I stumbled across this site.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2002/03/04/nexp04.xml&sSheet=/news/2002/03/04/ixhome.html
It is and old article and I don't realy know if the site is credible but the story is quite intresting.

Gavin Menzies, a former British sub commander has been exploring and fallowing old chinise maps from the time and he has concluded that China discovered the Americas, antarctica, Australia and circumvented Earth decades before Colombus reached the caribean. He claims that later European explores used Chinise Maps when they set for the "unknown". He doesn't really have hard prove as Confucian officials who advised the later Ming emperors destroyed all records of these sea voyages, but his argument is pretty strong bringing other facts. In 2002, He published a book, 1421: The Year China Discovered America where he explains his theory and shows pictures of the Map that Zheng He's treasure fleet supposuly made. I haven't read it but I intend on getting it in a couple of days. I like this sort of books:silly:

Anyways here is a site that has the maps and other things about his theory.
http://www.1421.tv/maps.asp

So what you guys think?
In my opinion he could have done it. The treasure fleet was a bast fleet after all, The largest in the world during the time and Zheng He was quite a navigator.

[NaVatar]

There is a documentary on Discovery on Zheng He going on right now about his life and travels on sea. But I thought he only travelled west (southern asia, Saudiarabia and Africa? They never spoke about the chance of him discovering America.

[Richard]

I know, that's becuase this is still a theory, there are many gaps that need to be filled in other to rewrite history.
Like I said, it is quite possible that Zheng He would have discovered America, but until real proves are found this won't go any further than what it is now.

[People's Republic of China]

Gavin Menzies book was very interesting. I've done some independant research (literature and some travel) and found most of it is true. In Costa Rica their is some evidence of Chinese presence on the Western coast.

And I know that there is indeed a shipwreck in the Sacramento river that's of Chinese origin.

As a book, 1421 was exceedingly well written, and I find it highly probable that Menzies' hypothesis is true. But more study is needed.

[Richard]

Well it seems the map was a fake. Dunno if this site can be trusted, but according to Dr. Geoff Wade it is fake.
http://www.1421exposed.com/html/wade_challenge.html


http://www.1421exposed.com/html/1763_map.html

[Punisher]

5,000+ years ago:cavemen/Indians from Asia came across the thing that connected to Alaska and started settling the west coast

4,000+ yrs ago:viking discoverd and owned settlements along east cannada and NE America

1421:Ze hung came through west cost,central,east cost,and south America.

1490 or so:Columbus created the first European expedition

these are all theories on who came when and where i personally thing it was ze hung who deserves cred though

[Richard]

Wasn't the Vivking theory proved wrong some time ago because they proved the map was fake or something like that. I saw a documentary on national Geographic about it a long time ago so don't really remember.

And yes, if one really thinks about it, the caven men that came from asia where the ones who discovered America.:rolleyes:

[People's Republic of China]

Oh I forgot to add, in Costa Rica, I met some tribals (I forget which) that still pass down legends of ships from the west sea (Pacific) that dwarfed Spanish ships and carried crews of yellow men. They all tell tales of their silk and blue porcelin. I heard these legends before I found 1421.

Anyway, aside from the native legends and China traces, I think that digging up the sand piles where a number of Chinese capital ships (in Bermuda) are reputably buried would be helpful.

And there is the tower in New England that almost a carbon copy of a far larger one in, I think, Zhangzhou.