Surprisingly well-balanced approach to a controversial theory (a history teacher's review)

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	• 1421: The Year China Discovered America Larry Belling PBS (Direct), 2004 average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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Not terribly convincing

Although there is ample proof of Chinese treasure fleets going as far as India, the further out the fleet supposedly went the less convincing the arguments became. For instance, the shards of porcelin he found on the beach in the Persian Gulf? Would they still be there after 500 years? Or is it more likely they're far more recent.

In any case, it does make you think.

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I want to believe that the Chineese were the first to be in the Americas.
However, I do believe some of the evidence sited is suspect. IE the
tower in Rhode Island.

But the book sited things such as a rudder found in the Sacramento River
in Califorina. I have not herd anything about this at any other time or
on any other venue. Help me out and expand. Lets have this on the History Channel 4 or 6 times a week for awhile like every thing else on
that channel.

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Surprisingly well-balanced approach to a controversial theory (a history teacher's review)

I fully expected this DVD to be a whole-hearted film adaptation of the book without any criticism of the central thesis. If you are not aware of the thesis, British naval officer Gavin Menzies proposes that the gigantic Chinese "Star Fleet" not only explored the Indian Ocean and the coasts of Africa, India and Arabia, but also went around South Africa, into the Atlantic and eventually landed in the Caribbean, North America and South America. Menzies asserts that they went around Tierra Del Fuego, entered the Pacific and eventually returned to China, thus being the first the circumnavigate the globe.

The DVD is very sketchy about the latter half of this trip (The Pacific Ocean leg). The first hour does a strong job of explaining why you may have never heard of Zheng He or his fleet. It also tells about the voyages that historians are confident that Zheng He completed. This lasts about an hour.

The second half of the DVD focuses on the suggestion that Xheng He went to the Americas. Menzies lays out his case and the casual observer comes away convinced.

Then, the experts are brought out and Menzies solid case becomes more of an interesting speculation, which is really where this belongs. Under close scrutiny, this fun bit of theory develops a lot of holes (including New World and Old World diseases, a topic not even mentioned by the experts but that occurred to me).

It turns out that Menzies has very little solid data to hold up his proposal. That being said, it should not be entirely dismissed. I encourage Menzies to address the shortcomings that were brought up and make the necessary adjustments to his thesis. Will he? I certainly hope so.

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Critical Historical correction!

Proof that Chinese sailors visited the Americas long before Columbus, and traveled far more of the world than previously known.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

This special examines the theories outlined by Gavin Menzies in his best-selling book. An amateur historian and former submarine commander in the British Navy, Menzies poses an argument that could change the way we perceive global history forever -- that Chinese admirals discovered America and Chinese junks first circled the earth. Traveling across the continent, the film combines history, science and technology with adventure and exploration.

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