"China had indeed discovered America by 1421" (#29; Topic H)

Mentioning "China's Columbus-beating map" on its cover, the 1/14-20/06 issue of The Economist reports that a 1763 copy of a 1418 map (shown on p 80) will be unveiled in Beijing on January 16 and at the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich the next day. With six Chinese characters at the map's upper right-hand corner identifying it as a "general chart of the integrated world," the map also has notes that substantially match descriptions in a 1418 book The Marvellous Visions of the Star Raft -- which, if my memory serves me, is based on ship logs kept by Zheng He's mates on his 7 voyages beginning in 1405. After discussing the yeas and nays concerning the map's authenticity, The Economist concludes by saying that "the Chinese, having discovered the extent of the world, did not exploit it, politically or commercially. After all, Columbus's discovery of America led to exploitation and then development by Europeans which, 500 years later, made the United States more powerful than China had ever been." I share this sentiment, though the last 15 words are debatable.
Posted at 4:52 pm, Saturday, Janaury 14, 2006