IceTea - Tuesday, 15 January 2008 8:00:23 PM

I've recently been reading this eye-opening book by Gavin Menzies, 1421: The Year China Discovered the World. Menzies explains that in 1421, China sent the largest and most technologically advanced fleet to circumnavigate the globe. If you are Chinese, you would have probably heard of Admiral Zheng He and his voyages of discovery - but the detail Menzies goes into with this onerously researched book clearly shows he has something to prove to the world and that history should be rewritten to acknowledge the true explorers of the unknown - the Chinese.

Menzies states that China was the first to discover the new world, the first to circumnavigate the globe and the maps they drew were later used by European navigators like Columbus, Cook and Magellan to find America, Australia, Antarctica, the Magellan Strait and many other history-making finds.

As someone who has studied Ancient History - it is quite clear that Menzies is not an unbiased historian. He is a man, who has come across some startling finds that has certainly ruffled the feathers of conservative academics who refuse to open their eyes to some very compelling evidence. "1421" reveals some "evidence" that should be taken with a grain of salt, but it also has many areas that almost conclusively proves its claims. One must simply sift through the dirt to reach the gold. Much like reading the annals of Rome, there is biasness, but it would be foolish to dismiss the valuable content it holds.

I strongly recommend a read of this and if you are interested, check out the website: http://www.1421.tv