When they returned, Zhu Di had lost power and China was beginning its long, self-imposed isolation from the world. The great ships rotted and the records of their journeys were destroyed. Lost was the knowledge that Chinese ships had reached America 70 years before Columbus and circumnavigated the globe a century before Magellan. They had also discovered Antarctica, reached Australia 350 years before Cook, and solved the problem of longitude 300 years before the Europeans.
In this fascinating historical detective story, Gavin Menzies shares the remarkable account of his discoveries and the incontrovertible evidence supporting them.
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Background Information
American trade with China has grown from clipper ships bringing high-value cargo during the 19th century to cargo ships loaded with manufactured items in the 21st. Christopher Columbus was an Italian who was sent by the kingdom of Spain west in search of a sea route to China, but he found America.