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GAVIN AND LIU GANG DELIVER TALKS IN CHINA
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Gavin and Liu Gang, owner of the Zheng He 1418 / 1763 map (click here for more information) were honoured to be invited to address the China National Maritime Day 2007 International Forum on Zheng He's Voyages, Economy And Culture at Qing Dao in July. We hope to publish both Liu Gang's and Gavin's talks on our website soon. In the meantime a review of the conference can be read here. |
| WARNER BROTHERS CHINA FILM
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Following a heated competition, Angela Workman was appointed screenwriter for the 1421 movie in December 2006. The 1421 team were delighted with the first draft of her screenplay, received in March this year. Angela is now working on the latest draft. Gavin discussed these matters further with Warner Brothers China in Los Angeles in April. We are very excited by the prospect of this film as it will bring Zheng He's great exploits to a huge global audience. |
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1421 EXHIBITION MATERIAL ON INTERNATIONAL DISPLAY
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Part of the 1421 exhibition is currently on display at Dr. Tan Ta Sen's wonderful Cheng Ho Cultural Museum. There are exciting plans afoot for the exhibition to travel to South Africa via Dubai and Beijing, as part of a series of Afro-Arab-Asian Summits. There are also plans for exhibitions to be held in Israel, France and Canada. Would you like to see a similar exhibition where you live? Do you have the means to make this happen? Please let us know your thoughts! |
| PHOENIX TELEVISION DOCUMENTARY SHOOTING TO BEGIN IN AUTUMN 2007
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The joint venture between Phoenix Television and the 1421 team is well and truly under way with a television documentary. Ian Hudson of the 1421 team carried out a 3 week research trip in July to North Carolina and Virginia, exploring evidence of the Chinese fleets' having reached there some 600 years ago. It is hoped the film will begin shooting this autumn. |
| GAVIN TO CO-AUTHOR NEW BOOK WITH CHARLOTTE HARRIS REES
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Earlier this year Gavin signed an agreement with Charlotte Harris Rees to co-author Secret Maps of the Ancient World. The much anticipated release date is 2008. In an easy to understand presentation Secret Maps will weave together recent research of scholars from around the world into a compelling argument for very early Chinese arrival by sea to the Americas. The book will highlight the Hendon Harris map collection, and includes indications of many repeated trips over the years. For more information please visit www.HarrisMaps.com |
| CEDRIC BELL'S SURVEY OF CAPE DAUPHIN
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You may remember some years ago Cedric Bell accompanying Gavin and Paul Chiasson on a field trip to the Cape Breton site which Paul studied in depth, and described in his book The Island of the Seven Cities (www.islandofsevencities.com ) Well, since then, in addition to the vast evidence of occupation, cut stones and terraces noted in the 2005 survey, Cedric has analysed piles of cut stone columns which were left when the religious buildings were deliberately destroyed. He has found a series of beautifully carved animal faces cut into the ends of what were the stone roof eves - so far a dozen. This seems to contradict the Canadian authorities' claim there is no evidence of cut stone on the site.
Paul will be visiting the site in the upcoming months with a television crew and a team of archaeologists. We much look forward to hearing about their finds, and will of course keep you informed of their progress. |
| CEDRIC BELL'S 2006 SURVEY OF NEW ZEALAND
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Furthermore, Cedric has found a mass of new evidence in his most recent survey of North and South Island, New Zealand. The surveys located many Chinese sites, including several "Super" junk harbours, towns and a temple site, which bear close similarities with the terraced structures at the Nova Scotia site.
Sadly it appears that many sites described in Cedric's earlier reports have been pillaged. |
| SURVEYS OF PRE-EUROPEAN MINING IN AUSTRALIA
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John Slade's surveys showed the potential for pre-European Mining throughout eastern Australia, from the Victorian goldfields to north Queensland. John, and geological colleagues, carried out surveys over many years, while working as a geophysicist for BHP and as an independent consultant. We will be posting more information up on our website soon. |
| GUNNAR THOMPSON'S LATEST RESEARCH
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Gunnar has been working with journalist Thierry Secretan on a series of articles about Liu Gang's 1418 Map and Marco Polo Maps in the Marcian Rossi Collection. The articles are scheduled to coincide with the publication of the French edition of 1421 in October. Gunnar's new book, Commander Drake and the West Coast Mysteries will be available through his website in September. |
| FINALLY, LAST, BUT DEFINITELY NOT LEAST
A FLEET OF CHINESE JUNKS WRECKED ON THE PACIFIC COAST OF NORTH AMERICA?
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In March Gavin travelled to the Pacific coast of the USA where he was hot on the trail of the wreck of a very old Chinese junk. It turns out, after a recent update received at the time of writing, that there are potentially over 40 unidentified wrecks lying under the sand dunes on this inhospitable part of the coastline. Initially located with magnetic anomaly surveys, one of these wrecks has been corroborated using an independent Ground Penetrating Radar test.
This discovery mirrors and corroborates Cedric Bell's work in New Zealand because of many unusual aspects of the wrecked ships, and is consistent with the damage caused by the tsunami which we believe wrecked a fleet of junks in New Zealand.
We have recently applied for permission to carry out core sample drillings and await these results with great anticipation! |
As always we are most grateful to all of you who have helped us get to where we are today.
Please let us know if you have any relevant news that you would like us to share with the rest of the "1421 community."
We look forward to your comments and suggestions, and hope to hear from you soon.
Best wishes
Gavin Menzies and the 1421 team | |
