Where did Zheng He go to the Western Ocean?

Zheng He ***7 went to the Western Ocean, taking different routes and passing places every time.

* * * has been to more than 30 countries, but many of them are just guesses and remain a mystery.

Chinese academic circles generally believe that Zheng He's voyages to the West reached the east coast of Africa and now Kenya and Tanzania.

British scientist Joseph Needham once quoted cartographer Fra Mauro as saying that Zheng He's fleet crossed the Cape of Good Hope at 1420.

Menzies, an Englishman, believed that Zheng He's fleet arrived in America in 142 1 and discovered the new continent more than 70 years before Columbus.

4. Malaysian scholar Zu Feijia suggested that Zheng He's fleet reached the South Pole 1422 farthest.

5. Fitzgerald, Australia published Did China Discover Australia? In the 1950s. It is believed that Zheng He's fleet may reach Darwin Harbour in northwest Australia in the15th century.

The above picture is selected from 142 1: China Discovers the World, written by gavin menzies (UK). The four routes marked in the lower left corner are all branches of Zheng He's seventh voyage to the West.

In 2002, menzies, a retired British Navy, made an amazing inference at the Royal Geographical Society: Zheng He's fleet of voyages to the West in China arrived in America in 142 1, and Zheng He was the first person to discover the new continent more than 70 years before Columbus. Menzies's inference shocked the western academic circles, and his book 142 1: China Discovers the World became a best seller for a while. In China, menzies's inference made the controversial topic-where Zheng He traveled farthest to the Western Ocean-become a topic of academic concern again.

With the approaching of the 600th anniversary of Zheng He's voyage to the West, and the publication of menzies's 142 1: China Discovers the World in China, the debate on this issue has become increasingly fierce. Did Zheng He just stay on the east coast of Africa, or did he reach the Mediterranean Sea, where he first discovered America and even reached the South Pole? All the questions seem so confusing and mysterious.

Ming history records that Zheng He reached the east coast of Africa as far as possible.

For a long time, the academic research on Zheng He's voyages to the West in China mostly relied on historical documents. Zheng He's Biography in Ming Dynasty and Ying Ya Sheng Lan written by Zheng He's assistant Ma Huan both recorded Zheng He's voyages to the West as far away as Mugu, Zhubu and Malin on the east coast of Africa, that is, Kenya and Tanzania today.

According to the Biography of Zheng He in Ming Dynasty, Zheng He went through 36 countries and regions during his seven voyages to the West: Zhancheng, Java, Zhenla, Jiugang, Siam, Guri, Manzga, Bonai, Sumatra, Aru, Kezhi, Grand Gulen, Little Gulen, Xizori, Sulu and Yan Jia.

Ming History records that Zheng He was sent to western countries, including some countries in Africa. For example: "In December of the 14th year of Yongle, Ding Mao and Guri ... all the bones were tied up ... without stinging ... Marin ... the ambassadors of various countries and the Xuanwei Department of Laogang resigned and were given gifts and clothes. China's official Zheng He and other gifts, as well as brocade, tulle and colored scrolls, are given to kings of various countries. " "In the nineteenth year of Yongle, in the first month of Wuzi, Gourd Maugham ... didn't swear, bones and bones were tied together ... Sixteen countries sent envoys to pay tribute to famous horses and objects, and ordered him not to feast. The envoys of sixteen countries, including Qiuci and Hulumu, returned to China and gave money to the watch. Send eunuch Zheng He and other things, brocade, gauze, silk and other things, and then present them to the kings and go with the envoys. "

Interestingly, some archaeologists found 100 ruins of ancient China porcelain on the east coast of Africa. Among them, many ancient China porcelains from14th century and15th century have been unearthed, and scholars also believe that these porcelains were left by Zheng He when he went to the east coast of Africa.

For example, The Discovery of China Ancient Porcelain in Africa written by Ma Wenkuan and Meng Fanren also introduces in detail the discovery and excavation of China ancient porcelain in various parts of Africa. According to the book, many ancient China porcelains of 14 and 15 centuries have been found in Somali, Kenyan and Tanzanian regions on the east coast of Africa.

"This can be used as strong evidence for Zheng He's voyage to the West," Zhu, an expert who has been engaged in ocean map research, said in an interview with many media.

Foreign scholars speculate that as far as America or South Pole.

However, in recent years, people have been questioning and opposing this mainstream view. The "brave man" represented by menzies seems to think that with Zheng He's ability, he should make greater achievements and go further.

In addition to menzies's belief that Zheng He reached the American continent at 142 1, the British historian Joseph Needham quoted the British cartographer Fra Mauro as saying in the History of Science and Technology in China that the Chinese sailboats sailing in the Indian Ocean at 1420 were Zheng He's fleet.

Mauro's annotation on the world map drawn in 1459 speculated that the sailing of Chinese sailboats had crossed the Cape of Good Hope in 1420: "In about 1420, a Chinese sailboat from India sailed south and southwest from Dubai for 40 days (about 2000 nautical miles) and returned to Dubai on the 70th day. This ship is one of Zheng He's fleet! " Cape Dube is close to Madagascar, so it has sailed south and southwest for 40 days, and it is speculated that it has passed the Cape of Good Hope. So Needham thought Zheng He bypassed the Cape of Good Hope.

What's more, Malaysian scholar Zufeijia suggested that Zheng He's fleet reach the South Pole as far as possible, and Zheng He also reached the Australian mainland.

According to the usual saying in the history of western geographical discovery, the first Europeans to arrive in Australia were Dutch, who explored the Gulf of Carpentaria in 1606. 1642, the Dutch navigator Tasman discovered the Tasmanian Yan (then named Vandimendi). British navigator Cook arrived at Botanical Garden Bay on 1770 and drew a partial map of Australia.

Zufiga believed that Zheng He's huge fleet set sail from China, passed through the Straits of Malacca, India and East Africa, and then sailed south. He said that Zheng He's fleet reached the Antarctic continent in 1422. He also pointed out that Zheng He's fleet returned to China via Australia after discovering the Antarctic continent.

Fitzgerald of Australia published "Did China Discover Australia? In the 1950s. He believed that Zheng He's fleet was likely to reach Darwin Harbour in the northwest of Australia in the15th century, and the evidence was that a stone statue of China's birthday star was unearthed there in 1879.

Domestic academic circles deny foreign views.

Most domestic scholars who study Zheng He disagree with these different views. Both historians and navigators deny all the above statements from their own professional perspectives. The biggest opponent is undoubtedly menzies.

"It's not how likely it is, but it's completely impossible." Mao Peiqi, president of Beijing Zhenghe Research Association and professor of history department of Renmin University, totally denied menzies's point of view.

Menzies's study of Zheng He was based on an ancient map of China drawn according to latitude and longitude found in the United States. After expert research, some people think it was painted by China people. Menzies thinks this map was left by Zheng He's fleet.

However, Mao Peiqi said that the ancient maps of China were drawn in a different way from the West. At that time, there was no map drawn by latitude and longitude in China. "So the map that menzies refers to can't be drawn by China people at all."

Ma Renru, director of Nanjing Zhenghe Research Association, said that the director of Minnesota State Library once said that they did have the map mentioned by menzies in their library, but it was impossible to judge that the map was drawn by China people.

Another important reason for menzies is that the sunken ship in the Caribbean was Zheng He's ship. Chinese characters were found in the graves of Canadian island ruins, and the residents of the ruins had yellow genes. Almost all the experts denied the evidence, but they did not give any specific reasons for opposition. "These are unfounded and cannot be verified." Mao Peiqi said.

But menzies himself is quite confident. His confidence comes from the fact that he thinks he has information that China researchers don't have. In an interview, he said that 99.4% of the 654.38 million letters he received supported his views. "Most China scholars do research and check information in China, and no one goes out to Europe, America, Africa and other places to do field trips and check information like me." Menzies said, "And these materials are invisible to domestic scholars, because no one goes out like me."

Menzies's words have to make us notice that most researchers in China study Zheng He through historical documents, and they all try to find important clues in that pile of old papers. However, domestic literature is limited, not to mention the most important information about Zheng He's voyage to the West, and Zheng He's log book has long since disappeared. This will inevitably be "laughed at" by researchers like menzies who are looking for information everywhere. If our researchers can go out like menzies, perhaps "how far Zheng He has gone" will no longer be a mystery.

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