1421

The Year China Discovered America

By: Gavin Menzies

Narrated by: Simon Vance

Length: 12 hrs and 59 mins

Publisher's summary

On March 8, 1421, the largest fleet the world had ever seen set sail from China. Its mission was to "proceed all the way to the ends of the earth to collect tribute from the barbarians beyond the seas" and unite the whole world in Confucian harmony.

When it returned in October 1423, the emperor had fallen, leaving China in political and economic chaos. The great ships were left to rot at their moorings and the records of their journeys were destroyed. Lost in China's long, self-imposed isolation that followed was the knowledge that Chinese ships had reached America 70 years before Columbus and had circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan. Also concealed was how the Chinese colonized America before the Europeans and transplanted in America and other countries the principal economic crops that have fed and clothed the world.

Unveiling incontrovertible evidence of these astonishing voyages, 1421 rewrites our understanding of history. Our knowledge of world exploration as it has been commonly accepted for centuries must now be reconceived due to this landmark work of historical investigation.

©2002 Gavin Menzies (P)2014 HarperCollinsPublishers

Wow wow wow! Great book for lovers of history!

People even remotely interested in history and origins will love this book. The peoples of the world of been mixing for so much longer than we ever knew. What a fantastic book.

Fascinating

The evidence sounded convincing to me. This is a very thought-provoking book. Well narrated.

A compelling new way to understand the New World

The author does a fabulous job laying out his evidence for a claim that flies in the face of what every European and American is taught about the Age of Discovery. As it turns out, the famous Spanish and Portuguese explorers seem to have known exactly where they were headed and, in many cases, precisely how to get there. This book is about to whom they were indebted for that knowledge.

While the title and subtitle of a book like this could certainly produce instant skepticism, Mr. Menzies painstakingly brings out a wealth of archaeological, navigational, historical, and DNA evidence to buttress his assertions. For those not familiar with Chinese names, the audiobook can be a little difficult in spots, but the story is gripping and the narration is wonderful. By all means purchase and enjoy this book. I'm looking forward to other titles from this author and other readings by Simon Vance, too.

An argument for Chinese extended exploration.

I bought the book to instruct myself on ancient China. The opening chapters did this. As the book lengthened, I discovered it was more and more an argument that the Chinese Treasure Fleet extended their influence beyond the confines of the Indian Ocean. Interesting and scholarly, to be sure, but missing my objective by a wide margin. That being said, there was information of value. I'm on the fence as to whether in retrospect the book was worth it.

Very good, overall

I enjoyed the historical information. The narration was very good, but a little monolog after a few hours. I think the author could have cut back a tad on the amount of critical self-reflection. We believe you, the Chinese discovered the new world! Sheesh, already.

world history must

this book is full of interesting information about china's place in the world in the 15th century. the author goes to great length to put the information in context and also to present alternate theories along with why he feels his theories are more likely. a must listen for anyone interested in any facet of world history.

Fascinating history woven in an interesting story

Fascinating history woven in an interesting narrative. I found the story and evidence worth learning about. The way the author lays out the evidence is a mix of story telling with sharing historical proofs.

Great Book; Evidence well presented!

I enjoyed this read immensely. I like the way the evidence is presented. Listening and thinking as I did, I found myself seeing the working of a giant puzzle. It was fascinating! I’m ver glad I purchased the book.

Say What?

Some of his global warming theories are askew. I think there is some merit to his ideas, however.

Great story outstanding rewrite of history taught

Wonderfully backed up rewrite of our history as we learned it in school. it raises the question of what caused the collapse of the population of our two continents? imported disease?