It seems that every time you turn around, Chinese history gets more and more impressive. Paper, ink, gunpowder, opium, steamed pork buns; they did it first and they did it best, including, apparently, sailing around the entire world in the early 1400's, and mapping both the North and South American coastlines in voyages led by major naval badass (and eunuch)Zheng He.
Even if it's true, it doesn't put them in the hemisphere before the Vikings (1000 A.D.), and of course there were millions of perfectly civilized folks already living here, but it certainly makes a sizeable dent in the bragging rights of reknowned Genovese drunkard and slave trader Christopher Columbus.
It's strange that they left no trace, unless of course they weren't into the whole "Kill and enslave the natives" form of global exploration, which has, in the ensuing centuries, so ably captured hearts, minds, and precious natural resources the wide world over.
I'm only a giant panda (only! Ha!) but I know one thing: it's gonna cost a bundle to change all those signs in the District of Columbia to District of Zheng He.
And I know another thing, too. If all that money were spent on bamboo instead of new signage, I'd be one happy panda.
Ling Ling
Posted by: lingling | January 13, 2006 at 06:20 PM