Zhenghe - The Chinese Navigator

Many of us have known of this one Chinese eunuch -- Zhenghe and his various voyages to Africa and Indo-China during the dynasty of Ming.

Author Gavin Menzies has since explored further of Zhenghe's voyages where Gavin had raised further issues with the possibility where Zhenghe and his troops may have gone off course -- and had landed into the Americas in and around circa 1421.

Obviously, where many have been excited of this new possibility - with the sea exploration had started now with an Asian entry where more new perspectives can be gained and shared . Obviously, there will also be those who have vehemently defending the first explorers into the Americas remained to be by Europeans.

It is my interest to expand all of the Zhenghe 's voyages and with possible new discoveries for us all to explore.

On my end, by my personal exposure-- commanding some 4 Chinese dialects and who have immigrated from Macao (Old Portuguese colony) to Brazil and from Brazil to the US. My backgroud is in the area of human psychology, with the new emphasis now toward "cross-cultural" psychology and furthering more of my interest in Cultural anthropology.

Besides the Chinese language -- the other lingusitic fluency have continued to help me in my personal exploration of the many different languages, cultures and ethnic studies in these past 30 years. I thank my exposure with Brazil -- where Portuguese has become my second language with subsequent Spanish and much of Italian - I am grateful of my Catholic upbringing and with that -- the vast exposure of languages.

As of now, I am writing from the Northern most state of Amazon - in the city called Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira -- indeed, in link with some of the Salesian religious ( Yes, many have taken claim where the religious in the past had massacred the cultures and languages of the many natives ) For those who have done such accusation, I also ask of them to reflect a bit more --- In the human history, cultural attrition, cultural imposition -- or as of late, in our joint Portuguese statement saying "disculturacao" Literally meant to have culture displaced -- I often wonder who may have the greater crime on this -- Yes, we can blame the Jesuits and other clergy who marched behind the many "Conquistadores" --- and yes, they have been blamed by their evangelization which had literally decimated many of the cultures of the indigenous people --- Where I am still sitting in the midst of over 26 ethnic communities here in Upper Rio Negro, reflecting over the future of these natives ----.

However, to reflect, oh yes, great reflection -- as to have also witnessed when there were no religious intervention -- and only by the imposition or arrival of the whites -- merchants, farmers, miners and adventurers alike in North America, in Australia ..etc -- What had happened during the time and period upon the encountering of the new "arrivals", the new settlers and their contact with the Americans in the Eastern region, in the plaines and in the old Wild West.

I wish and hope for those who are either pro or con of the topic of Zhenghe, a Chinese eunuch from Yunan, whose original name, or last name was Ma -- and by my own inquiry, where his name could have been Muhammad, where his father was a Muslim, who had travel to Medina and made his pilgrimmage and where this great navigator had previous knowledge about the Middle East, about Africa and thus, his navigation skills and experience may have been that part of his ethnic identity -- A Muslim.

Thus far, there have been many many professionals, scholar and non scholar alike who has shared, contributed to the subject matter of Zhenghe and his powerful naval units -- Poweful in terms of his ships used to host over 800 members per vessels. And China and other commecial entities are trying to remake and rebuild these vessels ----.

This is an exciting time -- exciting for me is that both the East and West can now share the abundance of evidences that we can all pull jointly in this medium -- The Internet. And much more, there are now new scholars from Spain, from Portugal -- and I hope and wish, the Middleeastern scholars, or even better, story tellers ---- can make greater contribution to us with names like "Batuta" - one of the best known traveller during the time of Marco Polo.

Personally, in the use of my Portuguese and Spanish, I have found new pages -- and via old documents and even here and there comments about all those bits and pieces -- that may be fallen into greater contribution for a new knowledge that we all can share ---

I personally are exploring the Amazon Basin where the hypothesis of Menzies had mentioned about the many species -- such as pythons that is of Asian specie, also Bufallo in and near the island of Marajo and yes, chickens don't fly --- Where all the many of these so called animal and plant species can be one form of evidence - evidences that can be argued and debated -- as to the arrival of these species -- maybe after 1500-- after Pedro Alvarez Gabral's landing into the coast of Brazil;. His ship crew may already have Asian members ----

As of now, where I have been reading even more from now Brazilian and Portuguese authors --- anthropologists -- historians -- Such via Darcy Ribeiro --- and his Foundation by the same name -- His comments of ethnic Brazilians -- and the making of Brazilians , lvia his book -- "O Povo Brasileiro" with a three part CD series that he had also produced before his death in and near 2000. Where in these documents -- there are other figures -- and most prominently stood out is another Anthropologist named Judith Courteâo from Portugal -- where terms like "mudejera" , indicating almost all those who came to America, or the time of Moorish Spain, Portugal , the entire Iberia already are nations of Mudejeras ---

The great acheivement by Henrique, the Portuguese navigator prince, where as early as in 1380d , the builders of the famous "Caravela" had obtained ship buiding knowledge form the Arabs and already was in full use of the Chinese compass.

I personally am grateful toward Gavin Menzies --- It is not about his book (now books) being so successful -- But the courage to open up a new subject and to be shared by the many of --- professional or not, specialist or not ----- be that comments or gossips - or hearsay ----- and thus far, in all my exploring voyages in and out of the Amazons and in Central Americans -- these hunchs of artifacts -- oh yes, I am almost trampling onto names like Anna Roosvelt, the ceramics, the museums in and around the Amazons, be that now in Rio Negro by the border of Venezuela, Colombia -- with almost zero possibioity of Zhenghe 's presence ever been here - However, the off shoot to be able to engaged to the original natives -- the nations started with the Tupi-Guarani, as one of the major branch of the natives, their origin and migration toward all Brazil had started precisely from this region --- and their are many others ..

I hope and wish all the many more of you who will share our now new enthusiasm ---- with me and a few others who have the conviction to move 1421 hypothesis further -- and with our collective language skills and cultural awareness -- by me, The future 1421 institute to be in Macao will remain one of my objectives -- maybe under a future Zhenghe Foundation -- amongst the many that are existing -- Why Macao -- Because the multi-cultural link of the Portuguese , who were indeed the building of Caravelas --- and who had accompanied most of the Spanish voyages --- even Magalhaoes for us Portuguese speaking folks -- and not Magellan -- was Portuguese . And the immense amount of rich archives -- in Macao, by the most famous Italian Matthew Ricci ---- whose map making skills were known -- and cross-culturally, he was eventually rescended back to Rome, due to his love and passion foward the Chinese culture -- he lbaically has said -- China did not need to be evangelized -- Now I was told by other clergies -- it was due to the envy of the Franciscans, the Dominicans who had sent Ricci back to Rome ---. Ricci 's world map, by me and Dr. SL Lee will be one of the potential crucial evidence to review to the world of that one "possibility" and the pivotal point in connecting the two worlds of that time ...And there are far more evidences and documents in China, in Macao and also in Rome, or in Milan -- such evidence with PIME, the catholic mission entity where more documents of the Jesuits in Asia, and Ricci and others that can be of value to those of us who are doing our work on and about Zhenghe .

I hope this new chapter on Zhenghe and in this new Blogg here in Knol or knolstuff -- can be good for us all.

From Sao Gabriel da Cachoeira ---Amazonas
Paul Yih
7/24/2008