1434_the_Year_a_Magnificent_Chinese_Fleet_Sailed_to_Italy_and_Ignited_the_Renaissance

1434 The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance Gavin Menzies Those educated in the Western Hemisphere have been taught that European civilization and culture was the only important history in the world. Everything worth noting was accomplished and discovered by Europeans. I remember learning that the Arabs created our number system, however it was the Europeans that perfected it. This book challenges these Euro-centric assumptions. Menzies claims the Chinese sparked the renaissance and it all began when a huge Chinese fleet of junks sailed to Venice. From the ambitions of the Chinese Emperor Zhu Di to bring the rest of the world in “Confucian harmony” to the destruction of the Chinese fleet off the coast of New Zealand, Menzies presents a plausible picture of the era proceeding the Renaissance that is at odds with traditional assumptions. Throughout his book he offers proof of his beliefs. According to Menzies, the Chinese Admiral Zheng He, an explorer , directed a huge fleet of junks to sail around the world mapping areas not yet discovered by the Chinese. The Admiral was charged with collecting and sharing knowledge with the Barbarians. To aid in this he carried many interpreters and an encyclopedia of information known as the Yongle Dadian. This set of Dockery 2 books included knowledge of astronomy, cartography, agriculture, machines, weapons and mathematics and many other subjects. China having made great strides in printing was able to produce the books required to share this information. Menzies describes Zheng He’s fleet as magnificent not only because of it’s size but because it carried the great knowledge of the Chinese world. The vision of the Emperor, Zhu Di was to have the rest of the world pay tribute to the Chinese Empire. The assumption made by Menzies is that the fleet traveled to Italy and sent a delegation to the Council of Venice and then traveled to Florence. We are asked to believe that the 'Chinese knowledge' shared in these meetings may have sparked the minds of Leonardo da Vinci, Di Giorgio and Alberti. Menzies and his wife travel to the town of Saint De in France to research the cartographer Martin Waldseemuller who drew a map of the world in 1507 showing the strait between South Africa and the Pacific. He says that Waldeseemuller could not have known of this area before Megellan set sail across the Pacific. He believes this map was drawn from the globe the Chinese gave to the Pope in 1434. Also, he sites that Magellan led his crews to believe he knew of a passage between the Atlantic and the Pacific, to keep his crew from mutiny. Menzies also believes that Christopher Columbus used these same maps for his discovery of the Americas. I found 1434 an interesting read. I enjoyed the website and also the counter websites of those that oppose Menzies thesis. Do I believe this theory' I’m not entirely convinced. Throughout his book, Menzies mentions Marco Polo, but never really elaborates on his contributions to the Renaissance. Also, Venice at this time was one of the trading centers of the Dockery 3 world and it is not hard to believe that ideas and knowledge found it’s way into the area through traders and visitors. There are so many coincidences that point to Menzies being on target, however I cannot help but wonder if Marco Polo brought more than pasta back from his travels in China. Perhaps the Renaissance was sparked by a number of occurrences and this visit by a Chinese fleet was only one. I plan on reading more about both Marco Polo and Menzies first book, 1421, The Year China Discovered America.