Don’t take this as a full-blooded recommendation of the radio show Coast to Coast A.M., which I think is a kind of a radio version of The National Enquirer, but occasionally the show gives time to someone who just wouldn’t ordinarily get on the air. I mean that in a good way.
Such is the case with this interview (part 1 and part 2) with author Gavin Menzies, who recently released his second book 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance, which is a follow up to his 2004 book 1421: The Year China Discovered America.
The latter book asserts that explorers like Magellan, Dias, da Gama, Cabral and Cook only “discovered” lands the Chinese explorers had already seen, and that they and they sailed with maps drawn from Chinese charts that had been brought to Europe during vast expeditions — some numbering close to 20,000 — by the Middle Kingdom. He goes so far as to say that when Columbus “discovered” America, there were already Chinese colonies established long before.
His newer book, 1434, theorizes that a Chinese fleet—official ambassadors of the emperor—arrived in Tuscany in 1434, where they were received by Pope Eugenius IV in Florence. The delegation presented the influential pope with details of Chinese achievements in art, geography (including the aforementioned world maps), astronomy, mathematics, printing, architecture, steel manufacturing, and military weaponry. This treasure trove of knowledge spread across Europe, even igniting the work of da Vinci, Copernicus, and Galileo — all of whom Menzies asserts left very little proof that their work existed before this Chinese fleet arrived.
Menzies work is controversial and he’s not readily accepted by many historians. This is surely due in part to the fact that he’s not an academic and is a former submarine commander in Britain’s Royal Navy.
I’ve posted the two most interesting hours of the show. In syndicated talk radio parlance that means I’ve posted 80 minutes. Very interesting stuff.
4 responses so far ↓
1 EW // Jun 23, 2008 at 8:22 am
I’d be curious to know whether there’s any documentation of any of this. Presumably, if there was a treasure trove of Chinese maps, given to the pope, no less, there’d still be some around.
2 Shinsano // Jun 23, 2008 at 10:42 am
I think he says in the interview that the maps were destroyed by the King of Portugal.
I read a few articles about him and there are definately people skeptical of his theories. But then, I think some people will be apt to be skeptical of him simply because he’s not an academic.
3 EW // Jun 23, 2008 at 11:49 am
Let me guess, there’s no archaeological or genetic evidence for this anywhere in North America because the U.S. government destroyed it.
4 Shinsano // Jun 23, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Haha. With Coast to Coast it’s possible. He does mention there’s evidence of Chinese people having lived in New Mexico several thousand years ago. People that have different DNA than Native Americans…whose DNA also suggests an Asian orgin, but from 20,000 years ago.
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