谁先发现美洲新大陆——中国地理学西传考证

Who discovered the new American continent first:cartography from China to the west

1593年刻印的《乾坤万国全图天下人物事迹》地图载有亚伯尔耕、加拿大的名字,没有亚墨利加,显示明代知道新大陆的地名比利玛窦制作的《坤舆万国全图》早9年。1570年的奥特里斯的世界地图说明欧洲还没有到过美洲西部。普兰修斯1590年和1594年的地图完善了欧洲人还没有到过美洲的西部和亚洲地理,比对中文的《坤舆万国全图》的准确性,唯一可能是西方采纳了来自中国的信息。其中最大可能是荷兰航海者林斯豪滕和他相熟的中国通在印度果阿的交流,果阿是郑和当年必经之地。1590年后,西方地图有了飞跃的发展,其后西方海洋霸权中心从葡萄牙转移到荷兰和英国。奥特里斯1570年的世界地图,普兰修斯1590年与1594年的世界地图,3种地图逐步改善了西方对新大陆和中国的认识,但是没有欧洲人测量的文献根据,应该是中国的世界地理知识传入西方。《乾坤万国全图天下人物事迹》《郑和航海图》与《坤舆万国全图》代表3种不同用途的地图,均为中国创绘。《坤舆万国全图》的原图是明代内府藏的世界地图,约1430年成图,远早于利玛窦和李之藻时代。明代中国人是世界地理大发现者,是现代地图学的先驱,地图学起码是中国独立创建的,不是来自西方。

A Chinese map printed in 1593 includes the names Apalchen and Canada, but no America, showing that Ming Dynasty Chinese knew the geography of North America（the New Continent）at least nine years before the production of Kunyu Wanguo Quantu. Western North America was not explored by Europeans until 200 years after Ricci^s death. Appearance of such geography on 1570 map of Ortelius is unexplainable. The 1590 and 1594 maps by Planeius show greatly improved geography of western America and Asia without any evidence of European survey. The information is likely transferred from the Dutch sailors Linschoten and his friend Gerritszoon, a China expert, who made frequent trips between China, Japan, and Goa which is a port frequented by Zheng He＇s fleets. The sudden ad- vances of Dutch cartography caused a power shift from Portugal to the Netherlands and England. World maps by Orte- lius 1570, Planeius 1590 and 1594 represent different stages of information leak from Ming China to the West. There is ample evidence that Kunyu Wanguo Quantu is not a map copied and translated from European maps by Matteo Ricci and Li Zhizao, but based on original surveys during the voyages led by Zheng He before 1430. Zheng Hers navigation chart, the 1593 Chinese map and Kunyu Wanguo Quantu represent three types of maps for navigation, domestic ad- ministration and China^s foreign relations, respectively. Ming Dynasty Chinese should be credited for pioneering world exploration and development of modem cartography, launching the Age of Discovery in the 15th century.