The Chinese Maps -- The Ming Dynasty -- Gavin Menzies -- September 11, 2020

Chinese dynasties, easy to remember:

• Han Dynasty: coincides with Roman Empire; 200 years either side of Christ's birth
• Ming Dynasty: ended during year of plague in England, 1666; lasted 300 years
  

Qin Dynasty: first Chinese dynasty; 221 - 206 BC

Han Dynasty: 200 BC -- 200 AD; coincides with height of Roman Empire

Northern and Southern Dynasties: 500 AD

Sui: 600 AD

Tang Dynasty: 618 - 907

Song Dynasty: 9th century

Yuan Dynasty / Mongols: 1279

Ming Dynasty:

• lasted 300 years
• ended: 1666 -- plague in England
• started: 1366
• the great voyages, 1421 - 1423
  

Qing  Dynasty:

• the last imperial dynasty of China
• 1644 - 1912
• fourth largest empire in world history in terms of territory;
  

Republic / Mao:  

 

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Maps
From Gavin Menzies
1421: The Year China Discovered America

Gavin Menzies:
on/about 1990, author was visiting the James Ford Bell Library, University of Minnesota
map had been in collection of British collector, Sir Thomas Phillips
collection "lost" until rediscovered around 1950
chart
1424: one year after "the great voyages"
this was the "a-ha" moment for the author; he lived and breathed the sea; he knew the great voyage dates of 1421 - 1423 -- when he saw a chart dated 1424, he connected the dots;
chart signed by Venetian cartographer: Zuane Pizzigano
extraordinary: had coastlines of Europe correct; this was back in 1424
author noted: four islands in the far west Atlantic; name on the chart; author's surmise:

Satanazes -- Guadeloupe
Antilia -- Puerto Rico
Saya

Ymana -- con/yana: volcano erupts here; southern part of Satanazes, where three volcanoes are located on Guadalupe; erupted twice between 1400 and 1440;
this was back in 1424; Columbus had not mapped this area until 70 years later --  1491!

the 1424 map was uncolored, just pen and ink outlines EXCEPT FOR:
the two biggest islands were pained in bold colours:
Antilia in blue; Satanzaes in pillar-box red;
medieval Portuguese
Antilia -- anti "on opposite side of" and ilha "island" -- an island on the opposite side of the Atlantic from Portugal

From there, the author begins his research.

In Portugal, author finds another map, drawn in 1428, by an unknown cartographer.

1431: Henry the Navigator
issues decree to his sailors: find the islands of Antilia shown on the 1428 chart

Begin on page 32 at the top.