Reviews of Dr Wang’s Publication: Chinese Global Exploration in Pre-Columbian Era: Evidence from an Ancient World Map

Sometimes when a book is written by an academic with a doctoral degree, it is generally seen as “unfriendly” to the “outsider” reader and keeps the wider world from fascinating knowledge. In her new book, Chinese Global Exploration in Pre-Columbian Era: Evidence from an Ancient World Map, Dr Sheng-Wei Wang has addressed this by writing not just a regular academic textbook, but a work of discovery on new insigts accessible to anyone, anywhere and with any level of academic skill who simply wants to engage in a new line of thinking about our world. The following reviews demonstrate how the non-doctoral degree holder is still able to appreciate Dr Wang’s new work.

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Book Review: Chinese Global Exploration in the Pre-Columbian Era: Evidence from an Ancient World Map

The principal chapter of Sheng-Wei Wang’s new book, Chinese Global Exploration in the Pre-Columbian Era: Evidence from an Ancient World Map, may become a very important element in the research and understanding of the pre-European Chinese ocean voyages. By carefully investigating the Chinese texts of the early seventeenth century world map by Matteo Ricci, a Jesuit scholar living in China, Wang’s new book explains how Ricci could only have used older Chinese records for his sources. As the author shows by her analysis, much of the information on Ricci’s remarkable map must have come from ancient Chinese documents that contained surveys, discoveries, and cartographic knowledge pre-dating European voyages. Wang’s new book provides the reader with well-researched support for this new understanding of early history.

Paul Chiasson

Yale-educated architect

Best-selling author, of: The Island of Seven Cities: Where the Chinese Settled When They Discovered North America (published in China as《最早发现美洲的中国移民》under his Chinese name (作者保罗·夏亚松, 译者暴永宁) and Written in the Ruins: Cape Breton Island’s Second Pre-Columbian Chinese Settlement. Both books describe sites along the Atlantic Coast of Eastern Canada that have stone ruins which appear to have been left by early visitors from China.

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Unveiling forgotten sea-voyaging world explorations

In the realm of historical literature, where narratives are often shaped by the conquerors, Sheng-Wei Wang emerges as a meticulous and compelling scientific voice challenging established accounts. Author Wang’s accessible and methodical approach in this book sheds light on intriguing chapters in history on how and possibly when various continents of the world were discovered. She brought to life the previous Chinese dynasties’ sea-voyages and notably, the Ming dynasty’s surveys of the world under the extraordinary Admiral Zheng He and his fellow sea-explorers.

Wang’s work stands out for its scientific rigor and a discerning, ‘microscopic’ examination of historical evidence. Her commitment to precision is palpable in the thorough cross-referencing and fact-checking that underpins her accounts. Wang’s knowledge also shines through in her adept translation and interpretation of annotated phrases in Chinese, found on ancient world maps. The result is a convincing and elucidating analysis that challenges recognized notions of propagated history, beckoning readers to reconsider the widely accepted chronicles.

This unprecedented exposition is more than a mere historical exploration; it is a testament to dedication and truth-seeking with an open mind. Wang’s contribution serves as a treasured reference for generations to come, appealing to deep-thinkers, scholars, maritime experts, researchers, archaeologists, and history enthusiasts alike. By inviting readers to question the official accounts, Wang’s work resurrects the annals of Chinese voyages around the world, which have been obscured by the sands of time. Through Wang’s keen eye and scientific methodology, these historical reports resurfaced from the shadows to illuminate contemporary readers, allowing us to reassess our understanding of the world’s past.

As importantly, author Wang’s first book “The Last Journey of the San Bao Eunuch, Admiral Zheng He” is also a commendable piece of detective work. Wang’s narrative reads like an ancient Chinese “Indiana Jones” investigation, bringing the story of Admiral Zheng He and his sea-voyaging fleets in America to life. Hats off to Sheng-Wei Wang for her invaluable contribution to the exploration of forgotten or deliberately neglected histories.

With gratitude and respect for your work,

Jacqueline Sa – December 2023

Eco & Holistic-Health Entrepreneur in Northern California, USA

Former Strategic-Marketing Executive in Multinational corporations

International Business Alumna of the University of Texas at Austin

French Baccalaureate II in Philosophy & Metaphysics at College de Fraternité

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New Insights in the Pre-Columbian discovery of America by Ming Dynasty Chinese mariners

There are a number of good reasons to read Sheng-Wei Wang’s new book, Chinese Global Exploration in the Pre-Columbian Era.
…..If you love cartography.
…..If you are intrigued with the technology of ancient maritime exploration and navigation.
…..If you are puzzled by the facts of Columbus’ claims of discovery.
…..If you just want to get a very good feel of the scientific process of investigating facts really looks like.

Then this book is a must read.

To accompany Sheng-Wei Wang on this scientific journey you have to accept her primary approach stated in her introduction, “since there can be no more than one truth…even if the process of seeking the truth may be tortuous, I have decided to thoroughly analyze an important ancient map….”. If her analysis of the facts that lead us to the truth appeals to you, then you will read on and deeply appreciate the research she has done.

Sheng-Wei Wang scientific training (PhD in Theoretical Chemical Physics from University of Southern California) presumes that the things and events in the universe occur in consistent patterns that are comprehensible through careful, systematic study. She believes and presents to us through the use of her intellect and with the aid of extensive databases of many hundreds of carefully curated geographical and historical facts, draws us conclusively to new insights into the Ming Dynasty mariners pre-Columbian arrival in North America.

There are no “tabloid” headlines in this book. It is just the facts and only the facts.
Sheng-Wei Wang’s process is based on making careful observations of information and helping us make sense out of those observations. What she gives us is a new and durable set of knowledge. Durability is a key concept here. Although ,scientists like Sheng-Wei Wang, reject the notion of attaining absolute truth and accept some uncertainty, what she gives us is durable. Which means there may be, in the future, some modification of her ideas and conclusions, however, it is unlikely there will be outright rejection.

Sheng-Wei Wang embraces the great difficulty facing the scientific uncovering of the Chinese maritime explorers. This is because there are the facts of what happened and then there are the “political “ facts that have opportunistically affected what we know. Separating out the politics from the true facts is Sheng-Wei Wang’s mission. She is able to do this because the validity of her scientific claims comes to us by way of her insistence on verifiable accurate data observations and measurements. By the time you get to the end of her 438 page book, you will agree that her scientific arguments conform to the principles of logical reasoning—and therefore you will be forever uniquely informed by her conclusions.

I can imagine a critique coming in which someone says that Sheng-Wei Wang has bias because she is both the investigator and she is Chinese. But the reader of her book will not encounter this concern. Sheng-Wei Wang, as a trained scientist is ever alert to possible bias and aspires to counter it with objectivity.
The new ideas that Sheng-Wei Wang is presenting to us of course do not mesh well with mainstream ideas about the discovery of North America. But she tells us that challenges to new ideas is the legitimate business of science in helping us build valid knowledge. Sheng-Wei Wang is deeply dedicated to the scientific project. And so, as readers from many different backgrounds as scientists, engineers, mathematicians, physicians, technicians, computer programmers, librarians, and so on, we are participating with Sheng-Wei Wang to focus on what the truth is, the one truth that is out there for us to discover.

Michael Boffman (Ma Mei-ke)

Reseach collaborator with UC Berkeley (https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Michael-Broffman-39743970)

Licensed Chinese medicine and acupuncturist in California, USA

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Dr Wang and worlddiscovery.net appreciates and thanks Paul Chiasson, Jacqueline Sa and Michael Boffman (Ma Mei-ke) for their insights, opinions and reviews.

To buy:

From the publisher: 20% off with promotion code WSASOC20