1421: The Year China Discovered America?
This fascinating documentary examines the mystery surrounding the sailing exploits of the legendary Admiral Zheng and his 30 year command of a gigantic Ming fleet.
The Chinese court burned all records of Admiral Zheng's daring voyages and achievements, and unwittingly created a mystery that tantalizes the world 500 years later.
You've heard what the history books have to say about the discovery of America, but now prepare to have your entire perception of history forever altered with this remarkable release from PBS.
Could it be that a fearless Chinese admiral actually discovered America nearly a century before Columbus made his historical landing at San Salvador?
Travel back to the year 1421 and follow the legendary Admiral Zheng as he and his formidable Ming fleet travel far and wide to explore little-visited outposts at the behest of Chinese emperor Zhu Di.
Based on theories put forward by noted historian and best-seller Gavin Menzies, this thought-provoking take on conventional history proposes that it was Admiral Zheng who led European explorers to the West a whole 71 years after first setting foot on American soil.
Where is part 2?
Columbus and Zheng were NOT the first to arrive on the continent. L'Anse aux Meadows (/ˈlænsi ˈmɛdoʊz/) is an archaeological site on the northernmost tip of the Great Northern Peninsula on the island of Newfoundland in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador. Archaeological evidence of a Norse presence was discovered at L'Anse aux Meadows in the 1960s. It is the only confirmed Norse or Viking site in or near North America outside of the settlements found in Greenland.[1][2] Dating to c. 1000, L'Anse aux Meadows is widely accepted as evidence of pre-Columbian trans-oceanic contact. It is notable for its possible connection with Leif Erikson, and with the Norse exploration of North America. It was named a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1978.[3] The Norse settlement at L'Anse aux Meadows has been dated to approximately 1,000 years ago (carbon dating estimate 990–1050 CE),[12] an assessment that tallies with the relative dating of artifact and structure types.
We have one of there boats sunk on the beach here in New Zealand its hull measured the same size huge boat and wood test confirm its origin, there peoples DNA is one of our countrys first people , Maui and Rata were greek
Wonderful documentary, I loved how it didn't try to prove a point, but rather presented both sides of the argument - allowing the originator of the revisionist story the opportunity to defend his claims. Well done, quite balanced, and I learned a lot of history!
Zheng He's voyages were almost certainly greater than we imagine and certainly demonstrated the level of Chinese technology at the time. However, the question of whether he (or Leif Erikson or someone else) landed in America or not is irrelevant. Columbus' exploits, regardless of whether he was the first or tenth outsider to 'discover' the Americas, had real consequences. The Western world, and soon thereafter the rest of the world, changed after 1492.
The oldest known civilization in america is the olmecs civilization. search up the "statues of the olmecs heads", which date back thousands of years, and you will know for a fact who was the first people in america. You judge for yourselve, which race the resemble.
No rules, you can lie to yourselve if you want, im not here to convince anyone
Actually Zheng He was born into a Muslim family but due to exposure of religions everywhere he traveled, he was more into Tianfei, who was the patron saint of sailors & people who traveled by sea everywhere.
Also, who cares who discovered america? will that change anything today if thats proven? No, I don't have a care in regards to it either way. I just think his argument logic is severly flawed, and if you actually believe what he is saying when he has absolutely no proof, nothing. His arguments even said "they looked a little like chinese in that they were nimble and quick". Specifically said, they looked like asiatic which says to me they obviously werent.
That guy is entirely full of ****. His logic is basically, because I think chinese people were in america, they were in america. I mean has he even considered that its more likely they got the asiatic gene from the ice age, when alaska connected the continents? Its a known fact people wandered around. Dude logic is false, argument is false, he should quit or be fired from whatever hes doing. He is not practicing anything more then wild speculation.(in some cases I felt his arguments worked better against him, then they did with him.)Sad, sad man.
I've read two versions of 1421 as I have read over 100 books about Chinese history. And I truly believe that he is right and USA just simply does not want to admit that we were all taught a lie about Columbus. He bamboozled the queen in to financing his trip to America. Also in this movie nothing was mentioned of the many facts that were recorded in the mans extensive research. I've always liked China and studied it for many years. We as a country have something to learn from a culture of 10,000 years.....................Dave
Russia was in Alaska before 1421, they harvested pelts and enslaved the natives almost 200 years earlier. That is if Alaska counts as North America.
Once a red indian landed in Europe. He was the first one to land in Europe. He shouted that he had discovered europe. Then cops shouted at him and asked that there was a prior civilization there, a good and developed culture. Then he asked "who is Columbus to discover America?" Yeah, thats true. History is written by Europeans
Gavin Menzies is clearly clinging to a weak hypothesis. This doc fell flat on it's face in the second hour...
Funny, We are one and all the same, an interconnection of all things of this earth. And to say who discovered? My say First Nations over land bridge. To become the one's who are holding the new world in pristine shape, but oh yes we are savages.
Well, the boom in the spirit industry sent venture capitalist to the jungle of Mexico to find mescal to market. Mescal is tequila's grandparent. It was discovered that they used an underground distilling method, as well as bamboo tools (not indigenous to any America), that suggest Chinese influence. But I know why the West & CCP are scared we all realize this is true, look what it makes them into? The key to liberating the Chinese will be history & the associated cultural identity. History's theme: every Chinese is a descendant of an Emperor.
just a note he was muslim
ancient Ming coins found in BC, Canada.
I watched again - great theory, be good when research from young grad students start putting the pieces together. Nothing frightens someone in their tenured ivory tower than a really smart civilian with a new theory. LOL!
The author dares to challenge the Euro centric history tellers. bravo!
I'm so happy to be able to see this. I luv the book. What an adventure! 'discovered' is a very colonial, imperialistic isn't it? we should start a trend of using another way to say - what should we say?
'they saw a land they never knew existed and met the people there'
trying to think of a shorter phrase
This guy thinks a MAP is enough? The Vikings were there AGES before Columbus. Everybody knows that.. Ok it is fairly well understood that they stayed north but there is no guarantee of that.
omg i hearing so many things and im doing a history paper and im looking fro information
the Dacians went to America LOL, of the many great things the Dacians were known for Ocean Exploration was not one of them. Sea Sailing is quite hard in a country of Mountains landlocked in the center of Europe. Strange no one in China believes this who studies history, gullible westerners.
Apart from the Norse there is no real evidence anyone did all 'if' but' 'could have' 'maybe'.
Stray ships lost that are landing in America always a chance.
Zheng He WAS NOT an Explorer either he went on diplomatic missions on WELL KNOWN trade routes, the Song Dynasty 500 years before was already trading as far as East Africa anyone with even a rudimentary knowledge of Chinese History knows this, this program is just for people who maybe have no idea about Chinese History, its a joke.
from China.
One cannot exactly pinpoint who first discovered America but anyway its obvious it happened centuries before Columbus the murderer. Phoenicians were there, Egyptian too, Turks, Chinese, Celts, Dacians and others.... But history is written by victors, rite? Yet the lies wont last forever....
3300-2800 B.C. Peanuts native to America found in Chinese digs.
3000-2000 B.C. Chinese stone anchors are discovered off the California coast, dated to this time period by manganese deposits.
2000 B.C. Chinese cotton is introduced to Peru about this time.
1500 B.C. Stone bark-cloth beaters are in America, nearly identical beaters in use in China from 2400 B,C.
1100 B.C. Chinese pyramid building techniques are the same as American pyramid building
1100 B.C. Hookworm is introduced to America about this time
As a Tlowitsis Man, whom can trace my lineage and history back to my origin story and ancestor of Numas, I reside in the "Colony" of British Columbia Canada..... Finding America's!!!!! I think there should be some documentaries done with the Indigenous Peoples of North and South America depicting their stories, origins..... just saying