Synopsis
In his bestselling book 1421:The Year China Discovered the World, Gavin Menzies revealed that it was the Chinese that discovered America, not Columbus. Now he presents further astonishing evidence that it was also Chinese advances in science, art, and technology that formed the basis of the European Renaissance and our modern world. In his bestselling book 1421: The Year China Discovered the World, Gavin Menzies presented controversial and compelling evidence that Chinese fleets beat Columbus, Cook and Magellan to the New World. But his research has led him to astonishing new discoveries that Chinese influence on Western culture didn't stop there. Until now, scholars have considered that the Italian Renaissance - the basis of our modern Western world - came about as a result of a re-examining the ideas of classical Greece and Rome. However, a stunning reappraisal of history is about to be published. Gavin Menzies makes the startling argument that a sophisticated Chinese delegation visited Italy in 1434, sparked the Renaissance, and forever changed the course of Western civilization.After that date the authority of Aristotle and Ptolemy was overturned and artistic conventions challenged, as was Arabic astronomy and cartography.

Florence and Venice of the 15th century attracted traders from across the world. Menzies presents astonishing evidence that a large Chinese fleet, official ambassadors of the Emperor, arrived in Tuscany in 1434 where they met with Pope Eugenius IV in Florence. A mass of information was offered by the Chinese delegation to the Pope and his entourage - concerning world maps (which Menzies argues were later given to Columbus), astronomy, mathematics, art, printing, architecture, steel manufacture, civil engineering, military machines, surveying, cartography, genetics, and more. It was this gift of knowledge that sparked the inventiveness of the Renaissance - Da Vinci's inventions, the Copernican revolution, Galileo, etc. Following 1434, Europeans embraced Chinese intellectual ideas, discoveries, and inventions, which formed the basis of European civilization just as much as Greek thought and Roman law. In short, China provided the spark that set the Renaissance ablaze.

Recent insterests on Natural History leads me to this book, something about China, Renaissance and the great master Da Vanci. It is said that a fleet belong to eunurch ZhengHe arrived Italy and Ignited Renaissance. Sounds crazy eh?! The Author's former book 1421 is about the Fleet of ZhengHe found America years before Clombu, and graphic the map of the world. Such theory has incur critisisms from scholars all over Europe, as it is a kind of subversive theory against the Euro-Centrism. Really got a strong appetite of reading this book, will buy it when its not so uptight, lol!

July 4, 2008

Its not the independence day for the american people, but a big day for us, or the day I finally have to say goodbye! Years of friends, with the same kind of dream, taste, action and attitude. But, we  all knows that this day will come, everybuddy have to face and follow. Thks to all the people that helped, we got two great goodbye shows on June 14 and 29, think its the best way to stand at such point. I still remember when out on the street, Xiaosi said to me "this may really took a long time for not seen, Ren!", such words with such a sorrow, I look back at them when the taxi started, maybe right into that feeling for the departure...

Theme for that night is to show yr best things, so everyone have to show something, singing, guitar playing or even dancing. Ever think of the song we wrote "we just rocking and dancing all night through...", well, we did. Its a great fun to have such talented friends gethered around laugh and sing, full of joy and happiness! I believe the best way to say goodbye is like this...