1421: Chapter 5

I have never read an author like this before. This guy's passion about finding evidence proving the Chinese did discover America is unlike anything I have ever read before. I am merely 150 pages into the book, and it seems as though he may be running out of options. At that instance, he finds more evidence out of nowhere. After finding as much evidence as he could in maps and records, Gavin then attempted to use plants, animals, and diseases to further prove the Chinese's exploration of America. However, he also found other details other people (including me) overlooked in the maps. In Fra Mauro's map the Piri Reis, a compass was located in the exact location of the Falkland Islands. When I saw this map in the book, I merely thought that was where they put the compass. However, Gavin explained that it was located there because there is a mountain called Mount Adams located there. At that exact point, the sailors were below a star called Canopus, which like Polaris, gave them a point from which to determine their latitude. Small details like this just show his knowledge of maps and his desire to find the smallest details. The author then went on to use animals drawn on the maps to show that the Chinese not only found these places, but explored inland and recorded the areas before Europeans ever set foot in the Americas. Animals like chickens (in South America, the chickens are more similar to Asian chickens than they are European chickens), and plants like maize (a plant that could have only gotten to Asia from South America by sailors) further proved his point. These are things that a retired seaman may not ever consider when trying to use maps to prove a voyage, but Gavin's knowledge obviously goes far beyond that. It will be interesting to see what he uses as evidence next.

1421: Chapter 4

Throughout the course of this chapter, Gavin Menzies spends the majority of the pages discussing the voyage from Southern Africa to the Americas. Surprisingly, with the loss of all the Chinese records, Mr. Menzies is able to find accumulate a large amount of data from other ancient texts and maps describing the Chineses' experiences. To better understand what it was like for the sailors, Gavin himself relived their great expidition by sailing what he thought to be their course. He first hypothesized that the Chinese fleets sailed around the southern tip of Africa after returning ambassadors to the their homelands along the borders of the Indian Ocean. They then met and travelled around Cape Hope and were taken by the current up along the Western Coast of Africa. This was verified by a Japanese map called the Kangnido. When the Chinese sailors reached "The Bulge" of Northern Africa, the currents then took them Southwestward toward South America. Their trip from this point on towards the Southern tip of South America was verified in the first map of the world, created by a man named Far Mauro, who was given his information from a man by the name of Da' Conti. Da' Conti was in Calicut when the Chinese arrived before embarking on their voyage, and it is believed that he travelled for quite some time with them before speaking with Fra Mauro. Reading this book, it is almost like the story of a child in a candy store. With each new piece of evidence, the author gets more and more excited. He never counts himself out, or gives in that the Chinese sailors never made it. The fact that he searches the entire world for evidence is astounding, and only continues to show how much he desires to prove his theory. It is quite possible that the reason this book is so captivating is the fact that the author believes wholeheartedly in what he is writing.

1421: Chapter 3

After the introuduction period of the first two chapters, chapter three finally begins to describe the voyage of Zheng He. According to the book, several of the documents (Wu Pei Chi) survived the destruction of the mandarins. It is simply amazing how they Chinese navigated the ocean. They established the technique of using "The Pole Star" (Polaris) as a way to measure their latitude. However, contrary to today's methods, the ancient Chinese measured from the North Pole instead of the equator. To them, the Pole Star was a symbol, almost like the Emperor. It ruled the night sky. However, at the time, they could not accurately chart longitude due to currents in the water. Still, it is astounding they were able to accomplish that much. Not only were they excellent navigators, but they were also very aware of their health and nutrition on these voyages, being much more prepared than later voyages, such as Magellan's. While on their awe inspiring journeys, the Chinese took entire ships dedicated to their food supply. Their storing techniques so the food would not spoil was very interesting, and instead of eating meat they mainly relied on fish. How they caught the fish was interesting as well. The Chinese used trained otters to trap the fish into a net, a practice which is still sometimes used today. If there was ever a water shortage, they were somehow able to desalinate the salt water. Again, another very impressive feat. Concubines were also a very important aspect of these voyages. The fleet had landed in Malacca ,Mecca, and Calicut. When the fleet arrived in Calicut, a Portuguese poet (Camoes) said the fleet was comprised of over 800 ships. That number just puts a wow in my head. It is said that the Chinese controlled the trade of the entire Indian Ocean during this time. It is obvious why.

1421: Chapter 2

Chapter 2 begins two months after the great armada left China. A horrible event has just happened. A storm has hit the Forbidden City, burning the palace of Zhu Di. According to the Chinese beliefs, an occurance such as this one displays how their God feels. For example, when he was happy, the city prospered. However, when he was mad, the palace burned to the ground. This event was significant because it forshadowed the downfall of the Chinese under the Ming emperors. Zhu Di basically goes insane after this, draining his finances and losing the support of his people. However, this happens several times through the course of history, so I almost saw it coming in this scenario as well. After Zhu Di's death, basically all foreign trade was cut off. This part of the book surprised me. According to the book, China's fleet was larger than all those of Europe combined at the time. To even ponder that they would just up and abandon that as if it were nothing really shocked me. These ships were simply massive, hundreds of feet long by several hundred feet wide! The Chinese were so far ahead of Europe in so many ways everytime I read about something new I get the same feeling of surprise and awe. Upon the homecoming of the armada, they were not greated with praise. All accounts of the voyage were supposedly destroyed in China, which makes this book all the more mystical. Somehow this account came to be, even if it was not straight from China.

1421: Chapter 1

The opening chapter of the novel was very interesting. It correlates really well with a lot of what we are learning in class about Chinese history. 1421 starts by telling of how the Chinese ended the rule of the Mongols in their land. Zhu Di, the main character, defeated the Mongols on every front. After the defeat, the novel shows a great deal of Chinese culture by revealing how they torture the Mongol prisoners. They took the prisoners and turned them into eunuchs. Eunuchs were a very important part of the Chinese social system. Most eunuchs worked for the emperor, and gained high positions such as: commanders, generals, admirals, and even the emperor's personal assistants. Zhu Di has been the emperor for quite some time, and he had just moved the Capitol to Beijing. He also did many other things, some of which we learned about in class. Confucianism played a major role in Chinese culture at the time. Zhu Di also rebuilt much of the Great Wall of China, and also created the "Great Canal." Both of these immense building projects came at a great cost to the Chinese population, combining to take the lives of millions of Chinese citizens. Around the same time period, the Chinese fleet was being built. This just shows how much the Chinese are willing to sacrifice for progress, just like today. After the completion of the building projects in Beijing and the Great Canal, Zhu Di held a massive party. To show his power, every dignitary that came had to bow at his feet. To show the magnitude of this feast, it was compared to King Henry's wedding in England. On every level, it dwarfed the wedding party. At the end of the chapter, the great voyage of the Chinese fleet is just beginning to be mentioned. So far the culture of the Chinese has simply been captivating, and I look forward to more.

1421: Introduction

The introduction was set up as a really good hook. It simply was a background of how the author, Gavin Menzies, came across the maps that led him to search for an ancient seafaring country. In the beginning, he had no idea who these people were, only that they sailed all over the globe before the days of Columbus and Magellan. The detail that was used in describing the routes took by these seamen has already started to draw me into the novel, and I can tell it is only going to get better. It is astounding to even consider the fact that the history we have been taught our entire lives may be based on the explorations of other explorers years before what we already know.

Responses

I commented Hannah's and Lisa's blogs in response to the video on Hinduism. It made me laugh what Hannah said about her dreaming what she wanted, when she wanted to. Lisa's response basically spelled out how it was for me listening to the podcast when she said it was over her head.