goofyfish
03-18-02, 09:31 AM
"...the Chinese beat Columbus to America by 72 years and also circumnavigated the globe a century before the Magellan voyage.
In the early 15th century, China was the world's greatest naval power and Zheng He (pronounced jung huh), a eunuch who was close to the emperor, was its admiral. He led a fleet of huge ships through the Indian Ocean, reaching the east coast of Africa. Scholars think the Chinese could easily have continued around the Cape of Good Hope to Europe and America, if they had stayed their course of exploration. This much is documented. (full text here (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/17/science/social/17SHIP.html)) The Chinese certainly had the ability to do it. Whether they actually did it is another matter.
The exploration fleet was reportedly laid up, then destroyed, and further exploratory voyages banned by Imperial decree. A faction at the Imperial court gained ascendancy that opposed foreign involvement other than the traditional tributary relationships with immediate neighbors.
Peace.
In the early 15th century, China was the world's greatest naval power and Zheng He (pronounced jung huh), a eunuch who was close to the emperor, was its admiral. He led a fleet of huge ships through the Indian Ocean, reaching the east coast of Africa. Scholars think the Chinese could easily have continued around the Cape of Good Hope to Europe and America, if they had stayed their course of exploration. This much is documented. (full text here (http://www.nytimes.com/2002/03/17/science/social/17SHIP.html)) The Chinese certainly had the ability to do it. Whether they actually did it is another matter.
The exploration fleet was reportedly laid up, then destroyed, and further exploratory voyages banned by Imperial decree. A faction at the Imperial court gained ascendancy that opposed foreign involvement other than the traditional tributary relationships with immediate neighbors.
Peace.