1421 hypothesis - Books - Famous Chinese Shopping City

March 8, 2014


		1 Introduction 2 Methodology 3 Criticism 4 Reactions 5 Achievement 6 References 7 See also 8 External links

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1421 hypothesis

Wikipedia

The 1421 theory of the China|Chinese discovery of the Americas originates from former United Kingdom|British Royal Navy submarine commander Gavin Menzies. In his book 1421: The Year China Discovered The World Menzies suggests that fleets by the China|Chinese captains Zhou Wen (??????), Zhou Man (??????), Yang Qing (??????) and Hong Bao (??????), in the fleet of Emperor Zhu Di's (??????) Admiral Zheng He (??????), travelled to many parts of the world during the Ming Dynasty era from 1421 to 1423, before the Europeans 'discovered' these places.

According to Menzies, the discoveries include Australia, New Zealand, the Americas, Antarctica, the northern coast of Greenland, and the Northeast Passage. The knowledge of these discoveries has been lost, Menzies argues, because the Mandarin (China)|mandarins (administrators) of the Emperor's court took a strict line on new adventures after lightning (which was considered a sign of divine anger) burnt down the newly constructed Forbidden City. A year later, his successor (son), the Hongxi Emperor, then forbade making new voyages, and his advisors hid or destroyed all accounts of Zheng He's voyages.

The 1421 hypothesis is widely un-supported by scholars. It is a revolution in history, but fails to present strong proofs, using contested documents. However, it is widely popular in the Pseudohistory field.

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Methodology

The 1421 theory is partially influenced by Charles Hapgood's theory.

Menzies bases his theory on Chinese shipwrecks, old maps, surviving Chinese literature from the time, and accounts written by navigators like Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan. Menzies also believes that unanswered structures like the Newport Tower (Rhode Island)|Newport Tower and the Bimini Road were constructed by Zheng He's men.

Maps
Image:KangnidoMap.jpg|thumb|300px|The Kangnido map (1402) describes the entirety of the Old World, from Europe and Africa in the west, to Korea and Japan in the east, with an oversized China in the middle.
Image:FraMauroMap.jpg|thumb|300px|One of the inscriptions on the Fra Mauro map (1459) relates the travels of an Asian junk (sailing)|junk deep into the Atlantic Ocean around 1420.
Several maps were used by Menzies:

The Kangnido map (?????????????????????????????? or ?????????) (1402), which tends to indicate an extensive geographical knowledge of the Old World (and particularly of the contour of the African continent) by Eastern Asian countries, even before the time of Zheng He's expeditions.

The Pizzigano map (1424)

The Fra Mauro map (1459), which describes an expedition by an Asian ship into the Atlantic around 1420:

"About the year of Our Lord 1420 a ship, what is called an Indian junk (sailing)|junk (lit. "Zoncho de India", "India" meaning Asia in 15th century Europe), on a crossing of the Sea of India towards the Isle of Men and Women (close to Socotra), was diverted beyond the Cape of Diab (Cape of Good Hope), through the Green Isles, out into the Sea of Darkness (Atlantic Ocean) on a way west and southwest. Nothing but air and water was seen for 40 days and by their reckoning they ran 2,000 miles and fortune deserted them. When the stress of the weather had subsided they made the return to the said Cape of Diab in 70 days and drawing near to the shore to supply their wants the sailors saw the egg of a bird called roc." (Fra Mauro map, Inscription 10, A13).

The Cantino map (1502)

The Waldeseem??ller map (1507)

The Piri Reis map (1513)

The Jean Rotz map (1542)

The Wu Pei Chi (Wu Bei Zhi; 武備志) map (redrawn after Zheng He's maps in 1628)

The Vinland map

Also, the De Virga world map (1411-1415) had been presented on Gavin Menzies's 1421 website, as new evidence to the propagation of eastern cartographic know-how before the European Age of Discovery.

Other evidence
Among his specific evidence are DNA studies showing "recent" DNA flow from China, maps which apparently show foreign lands before the Europeans discovered them, and a drawing of an armadillo in a book published in China in 1430, along with much other circumstantial evidence.

Also quoted are the accounts of Bartolom?? de las Casas according to which two dead bodies that looked like Indians were found on Flores Island, Portugal|Flores (Azores). De las Casas said he found that fact in Columbus' notes, and it was one of the reasons for Columbus to assume India was on the other side of the ocean.

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Criticism

His book is considered by many experts to not be founded in facts. The 1421 hypotesis is based on several discussed documents (the Piri Reis map, the Vinland map), on the original interpretation of accepted documents (Fra Mauro map#Africa|Fra Mauro map, de las Casas) and archeological findings.

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Reactions

Menzies modifies his theory from time to time based on newly discovered evidence. His new findings are usually bigger, bolder, and much less traditional than his previous ones. For example, he now claims some of Zheng He's ships travelled as far as Spain. He also now alleges that the Chinese records of the voyages were never, in fact, destroyed, and are waiting to be found.

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Achievement

Menzies' hypothesis and his theory accomplishes what many Zheng He scholars and academicians failed to do: that is to create a wide awareness on the subject matter; and forced a critical rethink, including some reevaluations on the extent, the success and the failures of the Ming Imperial Treasure Fleet.

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References

Book reference | Author=Menzies, Gavin | Title=1421, The Year China Discovered America | Publisher=New York: Morrow/Avon | Year=2003 | ID=ISBN 0060537639

Book reference | Author=Menzies, Gavin | Title=1421, The Year China Discovered the World | Publisher=London: Bantam Press | Year=2002 | ID=ISBN 0593051580

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