1421

Columbus, da Gama and Captain Cook may have taken the credit for a world of discoveries, but it seems the Chinese beat them all to it by a considerable margin. At least, that is the theory of former submarine commander Gavin Menzies who has spent 15 years researching an idea that on the surface may sound far-fetched. Unlike most revisionists, however, Menzies has a mass of evidence to support his ideas, including ancient maps, large standing stones and other material treasures left along the various routes - not least a number of sunken junks. According to the book - set to become a TV documentary - a massive Chinese fleet set sail in 1421 on the orders of Emperor Zhu Di. The emperor ordered his eunuch admirals, led by Zheng He, to discover new lands and unite the whole world under the umbrella of Confucian harmony - which, reading between the lines, means they were to find some cheap markets with which China could trade. The admirals' journeys lasted more than two years, during which they discovered, mapped and explored America (70 years before Columbus), Australia (350 years before Cook), and even Antarctica. So how did knowledge of these adventures become lost? Menzies has the answer to that, too. He says that when the admirals returned home they found China in a state of turmoil - in effect, going through a civil war. All evidence of the old emperor's achievements was destroyed, the nation spurned overseas contacts and so began centuries of isolation. Menzies makes his case well, presenting an enormous amount of evidence that is difficult to contradict. He also shows how the theory addresses many previously unanswered questions about ancient maps that some have said must have come from Atlantis, others from space aliens. It seems they were more likely the work of a crowd of enterprising eunuchs. This is a stunning book, eye-opening in its revelations and lavishly illustrated throughout. A bestseller in the making. (Kirkus UK)