1434
Page 29
Wendi Watson and her husband, Mike, have produced the illustrations and diagrams for 1434 as they did for 1421. Wendi has worked from my original unpromising scrawl with good nature and patience for the past seven years. Her results speak for themselves—in my view Wendi has greatly enhanced the book and made the detailed evidence much easier to assimilate.
Laura Tatham has word-processed 1434 in no fewer than fourteen drafts without once complaining or losing her sense of humor. Laura, who at this writing is approaching her ninetieth year, has supported me by word-processing my scribbles for the past twenty-five years. It is a blessing for me that I have been able to dissuade her from retiring!
Our researchers here—Erica Edes, Antonia Bowen-Jones, Vanessa Stockley, Lorna Lopes, Anna Mandy, Anna Rennie, Susie Sanford, and Leanne Welham—are a testament to today’s young people and the British education system. Unlike me, they are university graduates with good honors degrees. They have consistently and without exception shown dedication, responsibility, initiative, and hard work in assembling into a coherent whole a disparate mass of assorted evidence that pours into our computers day after day. They are head and shoulders better than I and many of my friends were at a similar age—we were, for the most part, drunken, irresponsible ruffians.
Their dedication and good nature is also attributable to Ian Hudson, who has led our research team these past five years. Ian has the qualities I lack—good nature, politeness, and common sense. Whatever readers consider we may have achieved is due to Ian as much as to me. The future success of the 1434 team will largely depend on Ian’s leadership, just as the 1421 team has these past five years.
And finally, I offer gratitude to my beloved wife, Marcella. Readers will appreciate that it is not an easy decision for a wife to be asked to agree to a husband in his seventies in moderate health plowing his royalties into future research rather than into a pension fund—and in addition taking on new financial obligations for yet further research. In our excitements and setbacks over the past five years since 1421 was published, Marcella has once again supported me to the hilt, enabling this great adventure to continue.
I and this book owe her everything.
Gavin Menzies
London
Feast of All Saints, 2007
NOTES
Introduction
1. Antonio Pigafetta, Magellan’s Voyage: A Narrative Account of the First Circumnavigation trans. R. A. Skelton. (Cambridge, Mass.: Folio Society 1975) p. 49.
Chapter 1: A Last Voyage
1. Twitchett, Cambridge History, vol. 3 p. 231.
2. Private correspondence between author and Mr. Frank Lee, 2005.
3. Tsai, Perpetual Happiness, reviewed in Journal of the American Oriental Society 122, no.4 (Oct.–Dec. 2002): 849–50. Viewable on JSTOR.
4. Dreyer, Zheng He, p. 6.
5. Tamburlaine died in 1405. His son Shah Rokh succeeded him in Persia, as did his grandson Ulugh Begh in Samarkand. Accounts of the accident are based on a Persian fifteenth-century account.
6. Dreyer, pp. 174–182.
7. Cambridge History of China p. 272. Dictionary of Ming Biography, p. 533.
8. Cambridge History of China p 278, 302. Renzong Shi Lu, ch. 1.
9. Cambridge History of China VII 286–8.
Chapter 2: The Emperor’s Ambassador
1 & 2. A medallion has been found in North Carolina issued by the Xuan De emperor to his representative. For the arguments put forward about the authenticity of the brass medallion and refutations by Dr. S. L. Lee, refer to Dr. Lee’s website Asiawind (see below). I am convinced that the medallion issued by Zhu Zhanji found in North Carolina and now owned by Dr. Lee is genuine for the multiplicity of reasons given by Dr. Lee. Research of Dr. S. L. Lee. See 1421 website, (www.1421.tv), and Asiawind, (http://www.asiawind.com/zhenghe/).
3. Dreyer, Early Ming, p. 144, translating from Xuanzong Shi-lu, The shi-lus were true records of the period compiled in a highly formalized mandarin process, summarized after the emperor’s death with a shi-lu of his reign. shi-lus served as the primary source for the official history of the dynasty, frequently compiled during the succeeding dynasty, e.g., by the Qing dynasty for the Ming. Zheng He lived in the reigns of five Ming emperors, four of whom had a Shi-lu composed for their reigns. The shi-lu system has several lethal deficiencies. First, succeeding dynasties invariably loathe earlier ones and destroy much that they consider creditable from an earlier dynasty. Second, mandarin education was narrow in the extreme. If something did not appear in a shi-lu, it could not have happened. This is epitomized in the absurd conclusion reached by certain mandarin “scholars” that if the shi-lu does not say Zheng He’s fleets reached America, then they did not. Such a system ignores fleets that sailed to America, got wrecked there, or decided to stay and never returned to China. The shi-lu system leaves appalling holes in Chinese history. However, perhaps I should be thankful—if history had been properly recorded in China, Chinese scholars would have written books similar to mine centuries ago! See Dreyer, Zheng He, p. 144.
4. This is J. L. L. Duyvendak’s translation, in “The True Dates,” pp. 341–345, 349. Duyvendak’s views on the voyages reached almost mythical status—taken as gospel by historian after historian. In my view Duyvendak’s restriction of Zheng He to seven voyages is ludicrous. If one takes the shipbuilding records, there were more than 1,000 ships (and possibly many more) available to Zheng He on each of the “seven voyages” recorded by Duyvendak. It is not remotely possible to control fleets of that size. There were in my view between 20 and 50 fleets at sea continuously between circa 1407 and 1434, under the overall strategic command of Zheng He, who may indeed have received only seven imperial orders. There were hundreds of voyages during those years, not seven. Re “3,000 countries,” Duyvendak at p. 345, n. 2, argues that “3000” is a copyist error for “30.” He then destroys his argument by showing the Chinese symbol for “3,000” beside one for “30.” The “3,000” symbol has an extra bar on top. A “copyist error” would produce “30” from “3,000,” not the other way around. The “3000” made by the engraver is clearly deliberate.
5. Ibid.
6. Correspondence between author and Mr. Liu Gang. Full text on 1421 website, www.1421.tv. Mr. Liu Gang’s translation may be viewed on the 1434 website under the heading “The Real Discoverer of the World—Zheng He.” (See note 20 for ‘3000’ countries)
7. Liu Gang Research 2006 see 1434 website
8. Professor Xi Longfei and Dr. Sally Church references are invaluable. They should be read in conjunction with note
9. A full list of references in the Taizong Shi-lu to shipbuilding are given in Dreyer, Zheng He, p. 116–121. 9. Chaudhuri, Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean, p. 241, Notes, Chapter 7, Note 29, citing Abdu’r Razzaq, Matla’al Sa’dain in Elliot and Dowson, eds., The History of India, IV, 103.
10. Camões, K. N. Chaudhuri “Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean,” Cambridge University Press, 1985. p. 154
11. Professor Pan Biao’s work was brought to my attention by Tai Peng Wang. Mr. Wang has kindly allowed me to place on our website the article “The Most Startling Discovery from Zheng He’s Treasure Shipyards.” Professor Pan Biao’s work was carried out at the Institute of Wood Material Science of Nanjing Forestry University. They analyzed 236 pieces of wood found at the bottom of no. 6 dry dock in Nanjing, which had been flooded for 600 years. Professor Pan Biao shows that hardwood was imported to China and Java on a massive scale to allow Zheng He’s junks to be built in China and repaired in Java. These finds corroborate the work of Professor Anthony Reid (see n. 11). A combination of Pan Biao’s and Reid’s work shows how building such massive fleets resulted in globalization of the timber trade in Asia. See www.gavinmenzies.net.
12. Reid, South east Asia in the Age of Commerce, vol. 2, p. 39. Professor Reid suggests that the most likely explanation for the flowering of fifteenth-century Javanese shipbuilding was a “creative melding of Chinese and Javanese mari
ne technology in the wake of Zheng He expeditions.” “In each of the seasons 1406, 1414, 1418 and 1432 fleets of a hundred or more Chinese vessels spent long periods refitting in the ports of East Java.”
13. This exercise took place in the Andaman Sea and Strait of Malacca in January and February 1969. Singapore and Malaysian armed services participated.
14. This took place in the South China Sea, south of the Anambas Islands, in July 1969.
15. Dreyer, p. 127, has a good summary. The names of the vice and rear admirals are taken from inscriptions on the steles described earlier in the chapter. Dreyer gives the names at pp. 146, 208–15.
Wang Jinghong’s name is sometimes spelled Wang Guitong, Wang Qinglian, and Wang Zinghong. He was after Zheng He the senior admiral until being drowned. Hou Xian was later envoy to Tibet and Nepal.
16. For the efforts of the 1421 team in assisting to locate the various remaining pieces of the Yongle Dadian that are scattered around European libraries and universities, please refer to our 1434 website, www.gavinmenzies.net. The National Library of China will digitize what is left of this massive encyclopedia, which was twelve times larger than Diderot’s eighteenth-century encyclopedia, then the world’s largest outside China.
Currently the National Library in Beijing has 221 books, and 60 are stored in Taiwan.
The Library of Congress has 41 books, the United Kingdom 51, Germany, 5, and Cornell University, 5. Cornell University has an excellent website, Explore Cornell-Wason Collection. “Starting in 1403 under the aegis of the Ming Dynasty Yongle Emperor (reign 1402–1424) the entire intellectual heritage of China was scrutinised for texts worthy to be included in what was to become the editorialised expression of Chinese civilization. One hundred and forty six of the most accomplished scholars of the Chinese empire took part. (See also Needham Vol 32 p. 174–5) After 16 months of work, the Scholars submitted the final product….” The Emperor however refused the tome on the grounds that it was not on the grand scale he had envisaged. Consequently he appointed another editorial committee complete with commissioners, directors, sub-directors and a staff of no less than 2141 assistants “making 2169 persons in all.” The newly assembled committee expanded greatly on the idea of literature and included sacred texts, medicine, writings on geography and astronomy, the arts and crafts, history, philosophy and the by then canonized Confucian texts…. The Emperor then ordered the entire work to be transcribed so that it could be printed which would facilitate the distribution process.”
See e-mails between Lam Yee Din, Tai Pang Weng, Liu Gang, Dr. S. L. Lee, and Ed Liu at www.gavinmenzies.net. In my opinion the most likely place to find chunks of the Yongle Dadian will be the Louvre. Napoleon took Venetian records to Paris. See Needham, Science and Civilisation, vol. 19, and vol. 32, p. 174.
17. See Needham, Science and Civilisation, vol 19, p. 49–50, 109–10, and vol. 32, p. 174. In May 1913, Herbert Giles wrote to Cornell University confirming that Cambridge only has one volume. See also e-mails between Lam Yee Din, Tai Pang Weng, Liu Giang, Dr. S. L. Lee, and Ed Liu on 1434 website, www.gavinmenzies.net.
18. Tai Peng Wang kindly brought this research to my attention, as has Lam Yee Din. See 1434 website
19. Needham, Science and Civilisation, vol. 32, pp. 100–175; and Temple, Genius of China, pp. 110–15.
For transcribed copies, see Cornell University Explore Cornell-Wason Collection.
20. Needham, Science and Civilisation, vol 19.
21. K. N. Chaudhiri “Trade and Civilisation in the Indian Ocean,” Cambridge University Press, 1985. p. 154, Note 29.
Chapter 3: The Fleets Are Prepared for the Voyage to the Barbarians
1. I am Indebted to the research of Tai Peng Wang, whose work has been the foundation for this chapter. See titles of papers in bibliography.
2. Needham Vol 27 p. 145
3. Needham Vol 30 pt. 2 p. 83
For calendars, see Needham, vol. 3, pp. 49, 125, 378–381.
Chapter 4: Zheng He’s Navigators’ Calculations of Latitude and Longitude
Extensive notes on www.gavinmenzies.net.
Chapter 5: Voyage to the Red Sea
1. Tai Peng Weng, “Zheng He Visit to Cairo,” p. 2, n. 18, and “Tale of Globalisation.”
2. Nelson had twenty-seven ships at Trafalgar.
3. Yingzong Shi-lu, chap. 31, 38, 45.
4. Xi Feilong, Yang Xi, and Tang Xien in Tai Peng Wang, “Zheng He Delegation to Papal Court,” p. 6, detailing Hong Bao; and “Zheng He and His Envoys” p. 1.
5. Hall, Empires of the Monsoon, p. 87–89.
6. Ibid., p. 124.
7. Tai Peng Wang, “Zheng He and His Envoys, p. 1.
8. Ibn Tagri Birdi, Al Nujun AzZahira Fi Mulek Misr Wal Kahira.
9. Lam Ye Din and Liu Gang research, on www.gavinmenzies.net. See also Tai Peng Wang, “What Was the Route Taken to Florence”, p. 1.
10. Ibn Battuta vol 4, p. 813.
11. The Travels of Ibn Battuta AD 1325–1354, vol. 4 Hakluyt Society, 1994), p. 773.
12. Tai Peng Wang, “Zheng He and His Envoys,” p. 2. See also S. D. Goitein, “New Light on the Beginnings of Karim Merchants,” both available at www.gavinmenzies.net.
13. Tai Pang Weng, “Zheng He and His Envoys,” p. 2.
14. Tai Peng Wang, see 1434 website
15. Poole History of Egypt. Frank Cass and Co Ltd London 1894
16. Tai Peng Wang, see 1434 website.
17. On 1434 website.
18. Tai Pang Weng and Lam Yee Din research on 1434 website
Chapter 6: Cairo and the Red Sea Canal
1. This paragraph and indeed much else of chapter 6 is a paraphrase of chapters from James Aldridge’s marvelous book Cairo: Biography of a City. Macmillan 1969 To my mind this book is the finest travel book ever written. Aldridge has an amazing knack for accurately compressing and summarizing a wealth of information in a few sentences. He is also a brilliant writer, witty without being unkind, choosing with great skill how and when to highlight colorful episodes of Egypt’s history. This book is a joy to read, and I have done so many times. I strongly recommend it to anyone thinking of visiting Egypt.
2. Ibid., pp. 5, 27, and 127.
3. Redmount, “Wadi Tumilat”; and Payne, The Canal Builders. Payne’s chapter entitled “Scorpion and Labyrinth” gives a detailed account of the builders from the pharaohs to Greek and Roman times.
4. Aldridge, Cairo, pp. 27, 43, 78, 79.
5. Poole, History of Egypt, p. 20. “In a.h. 23…it ran past Bilbeys to the Crocodile Lake and then…to the port at the head of the Red Sea.”
6. Aldridge, Cairo, p. 127; al-Makrizi, Histoire d’Egypte; and. Revaisse, “Essai Sur L’Histoire.”
7. SSECO. A more extensive report of the proceedings may be found on our website, www.1434.tv. See also Ibn Taghri Birdi, Abi I-Mahasin “A History of Egypt 1383–1469,” trans. William Popper (Berkley and Los Angeles: University of California Press, 1958) p. 86.
8. R. L. Hobson, “Chinese Porcelain from Fustat” Burlington Magazine for Connoisseurs 61, no. 354. A photograph of a piece of blue and white porcelain of Zhu Di’s reign found at Fustat is shown on our 1434 website.
9. Aldridge, Cairo. The chapter entitled “Saladin’s Cairo,” from which this quote is taken, is a sumptuously written description showing Aldridge at the height of his powers.
10. Jacques Berges, quoted in Braudel, History of Civilisations, p. 66.
Chapter 7: To Venice of Niccolò da Conti
1. “Geography of the Mediterranean”
The first two paragraphs of this chapter are a paraphrase of the celebrated French historian and politician Fernand Braudel’s marvelous work The Mediterranean in the Time of Philip II. I have referred to this masterpiece time and again, for in my view Braudel is perhaps the greatest European historian, capable of summarizing a vast array of disparate facts into a coherent and readable whole.
2. Norwich, Venice: The Greatness; Hibbert, Biography of a City; Lorenzetti, Venice and It
s Lagoon; Brion, Masque of Italy. See also Venice and the Islands (London: 1956), p. 22.
3. Ibid.
4. I am indebted to a number of writers who are household names. Norwich, Venice is a classic. Norwich, in his own words, is an “unashamed populariser”—a great achievement. Those who denigrate popularizers have no idea how difficult popularizing is. Another popularizer who is also erudite and who writes in a charming style is Jan Morris. My descriptions of life on Venetian galleys and of harbors within the Venetian Empire are taken largely from her Venetian Empire.
5. Descriptions of the Venetian Empire Morris, Venetian Empire, has colorful descriptions not only of the Venetian in the eastern Mediterranean but also of life aboard Venetian galleys. She brings to life the tough and skillful traders and seamen who made Venice. I have extensively paraphrased her book from p. 135 onward. Also Norwich, Venice, pp. 39–41.
6. Croatans—see Thompson, Friar’s Map at pages 171–174
7. See European Journal of Human Genetics, II, p. 535–542, entitles “Y chromosomal heritage of Croatian population and its island isolates, Lavorka Bara, Marijana Perii and colleagues. The DNA reports referred to is on our website, www.gavinmenzies.net.
8. Morris, Venetian Empire, p. 107; Brion, Mask of Italy, pp. 86, 91; and Alazard, Venise, p. 73.
9. Morris, Venetian Empire, pp. 160–61. See also J. A. Cuddon, Jugoslavia: The Companion Guide (London: 1968) pp. 140–41.
10. Brion, a Mask of Italy, pp. 80–83; and Braudel, Wheels of Commerce, pp. 99–168.
11. Luca Paccioli, “Summa de arithmetica, geometria, proportioni et proportionalita,” in Brion, Mask of Italy, p. 91; Alazard, Venise, pp. 72–73; and Braudel, Wheels of Commerce, pp. 141–68 and 390–424.