Replies

Ming Dynasty was looking for new trading partners. Northern Asia was still under Mongolian/Tartar rule thus the traditional silk routes to Persia and Middle East was cut off. Their expeditions were expensive and the civilizations they met not sufficiently advanced for economical trade (East Africa, Maladascgar, South Africa). If they found North America, they would conclude the same about the natives that inhabit it. Amongst the Chinese historians, there have been rumors that there were expeditions that traveled up to the Bering Sea and followed the coastline from Alaska down to California coast. Without historical records and logs, hard to prove.

After reading the book...and spending a lot of time thinking about it....Menzie presents a good case, but no absolute proof. If he could match the DNA of the Chinese type chickens in South America back to China....if he could dig around the Bimini rock formation and find any teak wood...if he could find any DNA from bodies buried in Peru or Mexico that matched to Chinese heritage...if and if and if.

He needs one absolute bit of evidence to open up the discussion and get more involvement of the historical community. I will admit that the map evidence (because I too am a map lover) is an awful lot...but its not positive or absolute. It is very strange how Columbus felt so sure of his ability to find the 'other' coast and the Spanish were willing to fund his adventure. I don't think any of them would have done that unless there was already a map in existence...and then that brings up the question who had the map and did they acquire it?

As for the Ming Dynasty...there is no doubt that they could have crossed the Pacific and could have desired a global market. They did have the expertise to make the crossing. One can only wonder what would have occurred had they made the crossing, and continued their exploration of the world. The American western coast would have been settled by China and would have been a major colony by the 1600s. With the major desire of China being business...rather than raping and pillaging like the Spaniards did...one would have to wonder what would have happened in the American lands if the Chinese had been first. They might have actually fought off the Spaniards and the British and neither would have ever settled in the west. It makes one look at past and wonder what could have been...