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    1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance
    1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance
    1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance
    Audiobook9 hours

    1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance

    Written by Gavin Menzies

    Narrated by Simon Vance

    3/5

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    About this audiobook

    The brilliance of the Renaissance laid the foundation of the modern world. Textbooks tell us that it came about as a result of a rediscovery of the ideas and ideals of classical Greece and Rome. But now bestselling historian Gavin Menzies makes the startling argument that in the year 1434, China—then the world's most technologically advanced civilization—provided the spark that set the European Renaissance ablaze. From that date onward, Europeans embraced Chinese ideas, discoveries, and inventions, all of which form the basis of Western civilization today.

    The New York Times bestselling author of 1421 combines a long-overdue historical reexamination with the excitement of an investigative adventure, bringing the reader aboard the remarkable Chinese fleet as it sails from China to Cairo and Florence, and then back across the world. Erudite and brilliantly reasoned, 1434 will change the way we see ourselves, our history, and our world.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperAudio
    Release dateJan 28, 2014
    ISBN9780062343673
    Author

    Gavin Menzies

    Gavin Menzies (1937-2020) was the bestselling author of 1421: The Year China Discovered America; 1434: The Year a Magnificent Chinese Fleet Sailed to Italy and Ignited the Renaissance; and The Lost Empire of Atlantis: History's Greatest Mystery Revealed. He served in the Royal Navy between 1953 and 1970. His knowledge of seafaring and navigation sparked his interest in the epic voyages of Chinese admiral Zheng He. 

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    Reviews for 1434

    3/5

    77 ratings8 reviews

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    • 3/5
      This book is half interesting history of pre-modern exchange of culture and science, and half crackpot historical postulation and shaky grasp of historical theory. Take everything Menzies says with about 10 big grains of salt, but its a fun read
    • 3/5
      Interesting read a little top heavy to start but once you get into the latter part of the book it begins to pick up.
    • 3/5
      A book that asks the reader to look at history in a whole new way! The author, Gavin Menzies, tells us the story behind his research on the meeting of West and East in the year 1434. To accept this theory, one would have to rewrite the history books. To tell you the truth I don’t know what to think of this book. Do I believe that the people of the Earth have traveled, met and exchanged ideas more than is currently accepted? Sure! Does that mean that a giant fleet of Chinese ships sailed to Italy, taught them everything found in the Renaissance, and then no one recorded it in the history books? That is a long stretch. But there are long breaks in world history that have not been filled in yet. Many mainstream historians do not agree with Mr. Menzies’s theory and that does not bother me; breakthroughs by definition go against general accepted theory. What bothers me is that many historians do not believe that Mr. Menzies’s research is reputable, and that is unacceptable. But how do you know if one’s research is reputable or not if you are not a historian? I guess time may be the best answer. If the fleet did sail, and knowledge was exchanged, there should be traces somewhere. Time may tell us if this is truth or fantasy.
    • 4/5
      Gavin Menzies' newest book 1434, takes up where he left off in his prior book 1421, that was focused on the voyages of the Chinese navigator Admiral Zheng He. Menzies picks up the thread in this outstanding new history book continuing to show new evidence of Zheng He's influence to other European countries, specifically Italy at the time of the Renaissance.1434 presents startling information, that is more than likely and highly plausible, regarding the fact that Admiral Zheng He did reach America close to 80 years prior to Christopher Columbus. Menzies backs up his evidence and feasible speculations with maps, logbooks, and letters from other explorers who all had copies of maps that more than likely originated from the maps of Zheng He. Through these maps, Menzies follows the history of many voyages, traces DNA lineage from various world port civilizations, evaluates artifacts found, and comes up with some very credible ideas that are worth noting.This book also details many other aspects of the Chinese influence to Europe through Menzies' incredible research. 1434 reveals uncanny knowledge that compares early thoughts on astronomy, mathematics, philosophy, physics and mechanical engineering. Within these pages, the reader can view side by side, many illustrations of mechanical inventions such as siege weapons, parachutes, grinding machines and printing presses, that until now were believed to be created by Leonardo Da Vinci and other brilliant Renaissance men. With these fascinating presentations, it's hard to not realize that the early historians could have been wrong, when in truth; most of all mechanisms shown in the book were initially invented by the Chinese and then introduced to Europe by Zheng He himself. Menzies' new findings that appear to be more than coincidence, offer up a wealth of knowledge, provide serious thought, and are beyond difficult to believe untrue. His in-depth research extends to the belief that these new thoughts stretch to the idea that the works of Leonardo and other inventors were simply enhancements to the diagrams given to them by the Chinese, and not original creations.I thoroughly enjoyed this book, found Menzies' research to be extensive and thought-provoking. The chapters on cartography, and the voyages of Admiral Zheng He fascinated me. Other newly found shocking tidbits revealed here made me wonder if perhaps the scholars will now be rewriting the history books. I found 1434 intriguing and fun to explore. This book is well written, inspiring, and presented nicely with three sections of color inserts showing illustrations and maps to enhance the book's readability. I can highly recommend this book and give it 4 stars.
    • 4/5
       A look at China and it's explorers - funded by the National Geographic - Rich
    • 4/5
      Not as persuasive as '1421 : The year China discovered the world.' Seems highly improbable that the most advanced 'nation' in the world would give away its technological advantage. Yet, it is interesting to know about the extent of Chinese knowledge.
    • 1/5
      1434 is the horrible sequel to Gavin Menzies' bestselling 1421, which already went way beyond the facts (aka fibbing) to "support" its thesis. At least, Menzies promoted the achievements of the Chinese medieval fleet and Zheng He around the world. The commercial success of that venture led the author and his publisher HarperCollins to produce this titanic shipwreck. Given the equally flawed sequel Superfreakonimcs, HarperCollins has massive quality control issues bordering on intellectual prostitution.Gavin Menzies' second book is dishonest, shoddy and lazy beyond repair. The level of ignorance is stunning and hits you machine-gun style: "In the 1430s, Europeans had no unified calendar, for they had not yet agreed how to measure time. The Gregorian calendar did not come into use until a century later." Never heard of the Julian calendar, proposed by Gaius Julius Caesar, inventor of the Cesar salad? Obviously, the editors and account managers at HarperCollins haven't either or were blinded by those shiny, shiny coins. This is history's equivalent to Creationism. It is only fitting that HarperCollins is also the publisher of Sarah Palin's Going Rogue, going rogue on facts and reality. Well, there is a sucker born every minute. Fortunately, I did not spend any money on this icky title.
    • 2/5
      Not bad as far as history books go. Offers some interesting ideas with regard to the Renaissance in Europe. Even if not all the ideas prove to be truel, it certainly paints the Chinese as a superior nation who were more advanced than the rest of the world at this point in time (1434). Food for thought.