Thank you for taking the time to pull the link for me. I don't really pay much attention to reviews by anyone other than real readers. The book sounds interesting and it is written by someone not from the ranks of academia. I like that. The fact that the so called experts are calling his work pseudohistory is appealing. In my own research of history I have often found the mainstream historians lacking on so many points. There are gatekeepers that hold a narrow view of what they consider to be history. They get bent if anyone challenges their positions. True scholarship can handle challenges to the prevailing theories.

Anyway, I am not as familiar with some of the particulars of the Ming Dynasty. This will give me the excuse to take a closer look. It does sound like the Yongle Emperor sent out several sea expeditions during his reign as well as his grandson that also sent out a voyage. Therefore, there does exist the possibility of Chinese ships going further than first thought. The Chinese recorded everything, but they were not beyond fudging the official accounts if they needed to. So anyone holding to complete accuracy based upon the Imperial records may be in error unless there are other coaberating sources. The Yongle Emperor was quite ambitious. I remember watching a documentary about the architect of the Forbidden City. The City caught fire right after it was inaugurated. Fire was always a problem throughout its history.

Thanks again.