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Theory from former British Royal Navy submarine commander Gavin Menzies. In his book '1421, The Year The Chinese Discovered The New World' he suggests that the Chinese admiral Zheng He travelled to many parts of the world, from 1421 to 1423, before the Europeans did. According to Menzies, this discoveries include Australia, New Zealand, the Americas and even Antarctica. The knowledge of these discoveries has gone lost, Menzies argues, because lightning burnt down the Forbidden City, which was considered a divine sign. Emperor Zhu Di forbade making new voyages, and destroyed all accounts of Zheng He's voyages.
Menzies bases his theory a.o. on Chinese shipwrecks, old maps and accounts written by navigators like Christopher Columbus and Ferdinand Magellan. Menzies also believes that controversial structures like the Newport Tower and the Bimini Seatrack are constructed by Zheng He's men.
His book is considered by many experts to not be founded in fact. However, some academicists, like Dr. Sir John Elliot (Oxford University) do believe the theory.
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