Pre-Columbian map may be authentic

Research conducted by the University of Waikato in New Zealand suggests that a 1763 map attributed to the Chinese explorer Zheng He may be authentic and provide evidence of earlier Chinese discoveries of New Zealand before Europeans. The map, which includes the outlines of America and Australia, has sparked worldwide interest, and its owner, Liu Gang, emphasizes that carbon dating indicates its potential historical value. Experts estimate there is an 80 percent probability that the paper used was made during the relevant period, which could change the perception of maritime discoveries.

The famous map and its current owner, Liu Gang

A 243-year-old map made by a famous Chinese explorer who discovered New Zealand, Australia and America before Europeans is likely not a fake, a New Zealand university study has found.

The Waikato Times newspaper reported on Saturday that carbon dating done at the University of Waikato indicates "there may be something to the theory that the Chinese discovered New Zealand before Europeans."

Before Christmas, the university was asked to carbon-date a map dating from 1763 to determine whether it was a copy of the 1418 map.

If authentic, the 1418 map by Chinese explorer Zheng He, which outlines America and Australia, was created 70 years before Christopher Columbus became the first European to reach the Americas.In the early days of the Ming Dynasty, at the beginning of the 15th century, Zheng He was asked by the then ruler to take command of a huge fleet that would embark on long voyages to establish contact with foreign countries and expand trade relations.

Between 1405 and 1433, Zheng served as an envoy to countries west of China seven times. However, his actual location has been debated for years, especially recently by some historians.

Western history records that Columbus discovered the New World in 1492, the Portuguese Bartolomeo Diaz found the Cape of Good Hope in 1488, and the Portuguese commander Ferdinand Magellan set out in 1519 to circumnavigate the globe.

When some said that Zheng He seemed to have discovered America 70 years before Columbus, who did so in 1492, if the controversial map drawn in 1763 by the Chinese cartographer is true.

The map could have a major impact on the reassessment of Chinese and Western maritime exploration.

The map was first unveiled in Beijing on January 16, drawing interest from around the globe. Its owner, Liu Gang, a Chinese lawyer and map collector, said it was an authentic 1763 copy of a 1418 map from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644).The original map has never been found, but if it were genuine, the 1763 copy could be proof that it existed. This would lend credence to the theory that Chinese sailors circumnavigated the globe much earlier than their European counterparts.

Fiona Petchey, deputy director of the University of Waikato carbon dating team tasked with examining the map, said there was an 80 per cent chance the paper used in the map was made between 1640 and 1690 or 1730 and 1810.

There was only a 13 percent chance that it was created between 1920 and 1960.

Liu Gang revealed the results of the study this week during a press conference in Beijing, news outlets reported.

He said that the appearance of the map, the color of the ink, the age of the paper, the way it was made, and the calligraphic style used by the cartographer indicate that the year the map was created was 1763, which was even noted by the cartographer on the map.

The carbon dating results from the University of Waikato confirm that the paper used in the map was most likely produced between 1730 and 1810 or 1640 and 1690, which is the correct time period when the map was drawn , Liu said.