1421-the year China discovered the world

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Anybody have any idea what was happening astrologically in 1421-1423?

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1421 - THE YEAR CHINA DISCOVERED THE WORLDhttp://www.1421.tv/http://www.1421.tv/pages/content/index.asp?PageID=38What caused the author to write '1421 - The Year China Discovered TheWorld'?The author had spent years researching and writing his original book '1421',based on the events taking place all over the world in this defining year.However, his discoveries about China came by accident. When completing'1421' he came across the Zuane Pizzigano chart for the first time. Thechart, drawn up by a Venetian cartographer in 1424, showed, to hisdisbelief, several of the Caribbean islands, as well as parts of the Floridacoastline, some 70 years before Columbus arrived there.Why has such an engrossing concept only come into the limelight so recently?Despite the subject matter of the book appearing so innovative, there hasbeen talk of pre-European world exploration for many years. It is only nowhowever, that anyone has made an attempt to filter this wealth ofinformation down into such a cogent and accessible package. The author hasspent years travelling the world in search of evidence that had often beenkept away from the general public. Therefore with the publication of thisbook, he has unearthed and made readily available a huge quantity ofevidence that was previously confined to the dusty vaults and archives ofthe past.Why was 1421 such an important year all over the world?1421 was a decisive year in world history. In Europe, as the 100 years warraged on, King Henry V took the bold step of marrying the French heiress of Valois, in an attempt to reconcile the countries' differences.Simultaneously, Venice, the oldest and most powerful naval power in Europewas in a state of disarray. The old Doge was ill, his powers waning, and hissuccessor waiting in the wings, determined that Venice should abandon itsmaritime tradition and concentrate on becoming a land power. Egypt had beenplunged into a state of civil war and social unrest -- there were no fewerthan five sultans in 1421 alone. The Islamic world was also disintegrating,what with the Portuguese invasion of the North African heartlands. InDecember 1421 the overland route to China and the Spice Islands -- the greatSilk Road running from China right across Central Asia to the Middle East --had been blocked when the Ottomans surrounded Byzantium. In that sameclimactic month, the Mamluk Sultan Barsbey seized power in Egypt andnationalised the spice route. The effect of the two events was to ruin themerchants who had controlled the spice trade, seal Egypt's borders tointernational trade and sever the sea route through the Bosphorus to thewestern end of the Silk Road.How has China reacted to the book?The key speech made by the author to 36 different countries, with apopulation of some two billion people, via television at the RoyalGeographical Society in March 2002, provoked a great deal of interest fromall over the world. The main protagonist in our story, China, was obviouslyoverwhelmed that their claim to have circumnavigated and charted the worldbefore the Europeans, had been substantiated by a neutral participant.Despite many of the records of the voyages being destroyed at the hands ofthe mandarins in the sixteenth century, there still remain several Chineseaccounts of their achievements, although sceptics have often doubted theirveracity. China has already hosted several conferences on Zheng He Studies,which Gavin Menzies attended to give keynote speeches, and was honoured bybeing awarded a visiting Professorship at the University of Yunnan, to whichhe returns several times a year to lecture. Other projects includetelevision documentaries, various museums, exhibitions and amusement parks,an epic movie and a historical replica of one of the huge treasure ships.Why should we believe anything the book says?In total, some 34 different lines of evidence have been found to support thetheory that the Chinese circumnavigated and charted the globe, a centurybefore the Europeans staked claim to having done so. The evidence isoverwhelming, and encompasses both physical entities (such as shipwrecks ofChinese junks in America, Australasia and Indonesia) and examples such asthe carved stones of Africa, the remains of Chinese peoples in SouthAmerica, and artefacts scattered all over the world, inscribed with Chinesecharacters, in Chinese styles, and some successfully dated back to beforethe arrival of the Europeans. There also exists more circumstantial evidencesuch as the linguistic, ceremonial and spiritual similarities between theChinese culture and those of other parts of the world in the fifteenthcentury. The linguistic similarities found between place names in Peru andChile are heavily supportive of the notion that the Chinese exerted a hugeinfluence there, in pre-Columbian times.What is being done to further the research in the book?There are several projects that are currently under way, the results ofwhich will further support claims made in '1421: The Year China DiscoveredThe World'. Archaeological teams all over the world are excavating sitesbelieved to contain relics of Chinese shipwrecks. Furthermore, the projectslaunched for the television series will play a very significant role inunveiling the truth about the Chinese voyages of 1421 - '23. Since thelaunch of the website, countless researchers have come forward offeringinvaluable help and assistance, for which we are most grateful.Why did China fail to keep her grasp on the world after wielding suchincredible power at the beginning of the fifteenth century?The difficulty in writing the book was further increased by the fact thatthe majority of Chinese records, documents and maps recounting the dramaticevents of the 1421 - 1423 voyages were deliberately destroyed or hidden bythe officials of the Chinese court, following an abrupt change in thecountry's foreign policy. The thunder and lightning storm that was to reducethe Emperor's palaces to a heap of smouldering rubble, as well as killingoff many of his loyal subjects, was seen as a very bad omen, and it was tocause an ever-descending spiral of misfortune. With the succession of ZhuDi's son to the throne came the rejection of the outside world, with Chinaturning in on herself. Anything commemorating previous expansionist policieswas expunged from the record.How can I find out more on the subject?The book has been published in 24 languages, and has been the subject of 5documentaries. For more information please visit the "Media" section of ourwebsite:http://www.1421.tv/news.aspTo read the evidence we have accumulated over the years please click here:http://www.1421.tv/pages/evidence/index.asp------------PREVIOUS NHNE NEWS LIST ARTICLES:MORE ON ADMIRAL ZHENG HE, CHINA'S COLUMBUS (10/22/2002):http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/3841DID CHINESE BEAT COLUMBUS TO AMERICA? (3/20/2002):http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nhnenews/message/2890------------See what's free at AOL.com.