Warner Adapting '1421,' Book That Claims China Discovered America
Filed under: Action, Drama, Foreign Language, Deals
In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue. He had three ships and left from Spain; He sailed through sunshine, wind and rain. Or, maybe not. Well, not that he didn't do all that sailing, but because some claim that he wasn't the first explorer to discover the Americas. It's time for you parents out there to get ready, because after 1421, I'm sure that many a kid will start asking: "I thought Columbus discovered America?" After the film, the little rhyme about the ocean blue might not have the same impact. Then again, this is a foreign production, so maybe they won't notice.Warner China Film is getting ready to greenlight an adaptation of British Royal Navy sub commander Gavin Menzies' book, 1421. In case you haven't heard about the kerfuffle over the text, Menzies says that over 70 years before Columbus hit the seas, Chinese Emporer Zhu Di sent out fleets under Admiral Zheng He, which went far enough to "discover" everything from Australia to the Americas, and even East Africa. (As if there weren't people already there.) Unfortunately, there's not much to back up the claims, which Sinologists and historians have since dismissed. Apparently, a lot of the "proof" is just claims without substantiating evidence. Or, maybe they're just knocking the claims because the news doesn't rhyme isn't as complete -- In fourteen hundred and twenty-one, Zheng-hi sailed the ocean sea...
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-18-2007 @ 7:33PM
Civin said...
How about: In fourteen hundred and twenty-one, Zheng-hi made an ocean run...
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5-19-2007 @ 10:12PM
Mike Farrell said...
This is all well and good except for the fact that we have been able to prove for some time now that Vikings landed and settled in Canada hundreds of years before Columbus or Zheng-hi showed up. They even made that Pathfinder movie around the subject just recently. Not that people weren't here already.
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5-20-2007 @ 2:46PM
David said...
We all seem to agree that when Columbus arrived and when the Vikings supposedly arrived there were people already here. It seems obvious that the people already here were decendants of other people who discovered the Americas earlier, therefore all this talk of who discovered the Americas is nonsense.
Was Pathfinder historically accurate??? I suppose the events in the 300 were true as well, they did afterall make a movie about it.
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5-20-2007 @ 5:33AM
Editor said...
Your real movie story-line is the fraud Menzies is perpetrating on the world.
Have you checked your facts?
http://www.1421exposed.com has your answers.
Reply
5-21-2007 @ 2:04PM
13thDuke said...
I am not saying that Pathfinder is historicly acurat. But the Viking did "discover" newfindland long before Columbus or the Chines. But it is silly to think that you can discover something that is already full of people.
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5-22-2007 @ 11:59PM
t said...
Firstly, this book has nothing to do with the chinese. A Brit wrote it, what does he know abt the history of china. Zheng He was sent to neighbouring countries on a peace mission & to explore around.
He might had caught a glimpse of Americas. but thats abt it.Get your facts right Gavin!
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