1421The Year China Discovered America

By: Gavin Menzies

Cole DiRoberto

Thesis• China discovered the New World,

and circumnavigated the world before the Europeans.

Startling Discovery

• In Minnesota, Menzies discovered map dated 1424 (charted by Venetian Pizzigano) the islands of “Satanezes and Antilia

• Menzies believes these islands were those of present-day Puerto Rico and Guadeloupe

• Who discovered these islands before the Europeans?

Menzies’ Agrument

• Ming China=only country powerful and stable enough to fund overseas voyages

• Zhu Di, emperor of Ming China, wanted to correct the “barabarian” West

• Sent Admiral Zheng He with treasure fleet on a voyage

Zheng He and Fleet• 7 voyages

• Menzies claims that they circumnavigated the world

• Best (naval) technologycompasses, charts

• 30,000 people on ships• 800 ships• 400 ft long• Biggest ships the world has ever

seen• Enormous in size compared to

Columbus’s ships

Evidence • Chinese fleet was advanced and could definitely have sailed around the

world• Languages, linguistics, DNA, in common/closely related with China• Indigenous plants to China found in New World• Customs, games, rituals of inhabitants of the Americas were oddly very

similar to those of the Chinese• Bimini Road, mystical road to which Menzies claims the treasure fleet

created• Giraffe given to emperor of China• Buildings in North America that Menzies’ claims were built by the Chinese

for navigational purposes• Portuguese admit to having not created the maps that showed the New

World, but they don’t know who made them• Written records claiming Zheng He’s fleet visited 30,000 countries

Columbus thought that he had reached China– Menzies argues that Columbus thought he reached China because the

people looked Chinese

Argument Against

• Menzies’ questionable nautical knowledge

• Lack of concrete evidence• Menzies’ makes claims without

evidence to back it–Ex: Menzies claims the fleet split up

while traveling near the Americas. One fleet went North the other South; each fleet led by a specified captain.