Science Forums 2

[Moontanman]

Originally Posted by maikeru

Columbus debunker sets sights on Leonardo da Vinci | U.S. | Reuters



To be honest, this seems like rubbish to me. I read Gavin Menzies's earlier work:

Amazon.com: 1421: The Year China Discovered America (P.S.): Gavin Menzies: Books

and was not impressed by his historical "evidence" or reasoning. I was wondering if anyone has any thoughts to add on this or if you have read the new book:

Amazon.com: 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance: Gavin Menzies: Books

While I admire the consideration and appreciation of ancient China, her accomplishments, and her culture, I don't think using the "China did it first" card to try to overturn every significant "European" discovery is going to get anywhere in serious historical and archaeological scholarship. Menzies is an admirer of Zheng He, the eunuch admiral who led a famed fleet of Ming exploratory ships to several places across the globe:

Zheng He - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

When Ming China stopped these explorations and destroyed the ships, it probably opened the way for the Spanish and Portuguese in the Far East, and history as we know it. It makes one wonder what if... (But I don't mean "what if" according to Menzies's version of events.)

Is this guy saying a Chinese fleet went to Italy? I think there can be no doubt that if a Chinese fleet had contacted Europe before Europe sent fleets out in the wide world history would have been changed.