Greetings and welcome to the 1421 newsletter for December 2007!
It has been another busy year, and we have been working on several exciting new projects.
The 1421 hypothesis has gained a lot of momentum over the past 12 months and only yesterday the U.K.'s Sunday Times newspaper published an article alluding to Gavin's research. As you can see from the link below, a 100 foot long Chinese junk, dating from the Southern Song dynasty, has been raised from the sea bed off the coast of China, as part of a hugely ambitious archaeological project. Although excavation and cataloguing of the ship's contents will take some years, we are sure it will turn out to be yet another string in the 1421 bow. As Tom Pattinson of the Sunday Times writes "It is hoped that the Nanhai will prove the existence of a marine silk road that linked southern China with Europe as well as Africa and Southeast Asia"
We can but wait and see....
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article3087296.ece
Something which we have also been following closely this month is the discussion following the permanent display of the Waldseemueller map for the first time at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
You can read more at the following link. http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20071203/ts_nm/usa_map_dc
We would be interested to hear your thoughts on whether, as we think it does, any of the information used to draw this remarkable map came from China!
We are always pleased to help others spread the word of their work on Zheng He through our website and newsletter, so are here glad to mention Ann Martin Bowler and her new book - Adventures of the Treasure Fleet - China Discovers the World.
In Ann's own words "Have you ever dreamed of setting sail in a beautiful wooden ship and travelling the globe, visiting different ports of call and discovering unexplored lands? Over 500 years ago, that's exactly what the emperor of China dreamed, and what his dear friend Admiral Zheng He actually did!
Years before European ships rounded the tip of Africa, Admiral Zheng He and his enormous fleet of "treasure ships" went on 7 different expeditions that sailed further than anyone thought possible. Adventures of the Treasure Fleet takes children on this remarkable journey with the admiral and his fleet. Over the 28 years that Admiral Zheng He sailed, his ships fought pirates, withstood terrible storms, crossed oceans that no one had sailed before, and visited Africa, India and over 30 other countries"
Full of detailed and whimsical pencil drawings from artist Lak-Khee Tay-Audouard, a plethora of interesting facts, along with the wonderful story written by Ann Bowler, Adventures of the Treasure Fleet is sure to delight and inspire children everywhere!ISBN: 0-8048-3673-6
We are also pleased to announce the sale of an Australian region version DVD of 1421 - The Year China Discovered The World?
"At the height of the Ming Dynasty, China's most celebrated mariner, Admiral Zheng He, sailed the world's largest wooden armada, nearly 300 ships, in an epic voyage of discovery and trade. 600 years later, in a small Chinese store, a copy of a 1418 map delicately drawn on bamboo paper is discovered, detailing Zheng He's epic voyages and the lands his expedition circumnavigated - lands that include the Americas, Australia and Antarctica. Three continents that history records were not discovered until many years later. Did Zheng He beat Columbus to America by 71 years? 1421: The Year China Discovered The World? is a fascinating and compelling documentary which is currently re-writing history. With in-depth investigations that delve deep into historical archives from around the globe, this extraordinary film re-traces the journeys of Zheng He alongside a wealth of evidence and contemporary historical accounts presented by modern scholars while examining bestselling author and historian Gavin Menzies remarkable evidence which sets out to prove that the Chinese discovered America long before Columbus. Part forensic investigation and part historical mystery 1421 is a fascinating, gripping and dramatic journey through a modern day controversy and into a brave new world."
It has been a very interesting and thrilling year for us here at 1421 HQ in London, and we hope to be announcing some especially exciting news for you all early on in 2008!
Until then, may we take this opportunity to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous 2008, wherever you are in the world today.
Best wishes,
The 1421 team
