【大纪元4月30日讯】早在15世纪20年代，中国明朝的远洋船队就到过澳大利亚海岸。在漫长的岁月中，许多中国人漂洋过海，陆续来到澳大利亚这片古老的“南方大陆”。他们把中华文化带到这里，同当地人民和睦相处，为澳洲经济、社会和多元文化发展起到很大作用。
Back in the 1420’s, the expeditionary Fleets of China’s Ming Dynasty reached the Australian shoreline. For centuries, the Chinese sailed across vast seas and settled down in what they called the “Southern Land”, or today’s Australia. They brought Chinese culture to this land and lived harmoniously with the local people, contributing their proud share to Australia’ s economy, society and its thriving pluralistic culture.
历史上，1405年至1433年间，中国的远洋航行先后七次渡过中国海、印度洋，航程遍及世界各大洋，中国的“宝船” 先后到过各大洲，其中也包括澳洲。这远比公认的英国人库克船长发现澳洲大陆早了300年。
In fact, in the extraordinary historic years between 1405 and 1433, seven magnificent epic expeditions are said to have brought China’s “treasure ships” across the China Seas and the Indian Ocean, chartering much of the world, including Australia. This was over three hundred years before the Englishman Captain Cook, was credited with Australia’s discovery.
美国布朗大学英语与艺术历史教授兰都（George P. Landow）研究发现，当年有人提出定论，认为库克船长发现了澳洲大陆时，英国海军部航海图处处长代伦堡船长（Captain Dalrymple） 持强烈的反对意见：“当年如果没有海军部的航海图在手，库克几乎不可能发现澳洲！”许多学者也纷纷指出，早在9世纪一直有中国人不断到澳洲开采铜矿。经过15世纪的中国远洋航行，中国人最终绘制出了库克当年使用的航海图。
According to the Professor of English and Art History, George P. Landow from Brown University USA, at the time that Captain Cook was credited with the discovery of Australia, Captain Dalrymple, head of the Map Department at the British Admiralty raised a serious objection: “Cook could hardly have discovered Australia since he had in hand Admiralty maps already depicting that continent!” In fact, many scholars suggest that the Chinese regularly journeyed to Australia as early as the ninth century to mine copper, and fifteenth-century Chinese voyages of exploration led directly to the maps Cook used.
英国退役潜艇兵孟席斯（Gavin Menzies）在《1421年：中国发现世界》一书中详细的重新诠释了影响深远的这段历史。他搜集了中世纪的古地图、手稿、航海知识及植物佐证，在来自世界各地的学者组成的研究项目组的共同努力下，孟席斯提出大胆的设想：首先发现澳洲大陆的是中国人。
Gavin Menzies, a retired British sub-mariner, has laid out this far-reaching major reinterpretation of history in the book “1421: The Year China Discovered the World”. Using a mixture of medieval maps, manuscripts, maritime knowledge and botanical evidence, and combining a whole team of interested researchers from across the globe, Menzies poses the assumption that it was the Chinese, not Europeans who discovered Australia.
中国官方记载也证实郑和的船队在15世纪20年代曾到过澳洲大陆。在明朝皇帝朱棣的亲信太监的带领下，庞大的中国远洋船队出海探索世界的各个角落。他们当时不仅到过澳洲，还远达非洲西海岸，南、北美洲的东、西海岸，甚至到过北极圈和南极洲。美国人李露晔（Louise Levathes）在《当中国称霸海上》一书中写到，朱棣皇帝的船队简直就是一个漂浮的城市：船队拥有300多艘大船，有些船体长达400多英尺，船身由上等柚木建成，船队共有2.8万多名船员。这些巨大的多桅帆船建造技术高超，使用了平衡舵和舷墙船室，其技术远远超出欧洲数百年。
Official Chinese records affirm that Admiral Zheng He’s fleets reached Australia during the 1420’s. Under the command of Emperor Zhu Di’s loyal eunuch admirals, massive Chinese fleets ventured to the four corners of the world. Not only did they land in Australia, but they also swept up the west coast of Africa, sailed down the east and west coasts of North and South America, venturing all the way to the Arctic Circle and Antarctica. According to another related book entitled “When China Ruled the Seas: The Treasure Fleet of the Dragon Throne, 1405-1433”, author Louise Levathes conveys that Emperor Zhu Di’s fantastic fleet was a virtual floating city; with over 300 ships–some measuring over 400 feet, built from the finest teak, and with combined crews of over 28,000 men. These extraordinary wooden ships were the most technically superior vessels in the world with innovations such as balanced rudders and bulwarked compartments that predated European ships by centuries.
目前，在澳洲很多地方已经发现了中国人先于欧洲人发现澳洲的证据。这些证据包括从古老的中国船只上留下来的碎片，中国的陶器和瓷器，中国舰队沿路留下的玉器、石头建筑、石头平台和雕刻、采矿场，还有诸如荷花、纸莎草等原产于中国的植物。除了已发现的无数古器物之外，在零星分布于澳洲各地土着部落的记载中，当地人将中国人称为乘坐巨船来到澳洲的“文化英雄”。古老的土着岩洞壁画也栩栩如生的描绘了据信到过澳洲的巨大的中国船。昆士兰省中部偏西的土着居民至今仍在世代相传着在多少个“黄金时代”（译注：Dreamtimes: 澳大利亚土著文化中,著名的黄金时代。）以前，非常显眼的黄种人从南方来，寻找他们在北方的家园。
Evidence of Chinese landings dated prior to the time of European discovery have been found in a number of places here in Australia. Some of the evidence includes pieces of debris from ancient Chinese boats, Chinese porcelain and ceramics, Jade found in the wake of the Chinese fleet, stone buildings, stone platforms and carvings, mining operations, as well as plant life found to be indigenous to China, such as the lotus and papyrus. In addition to numerous artifacts that have been discovered, there are also several accounts from various aboriginal tribes from different parts of the country who referred to Chinese people as being ‘cultural heroes’ who came to Australia in great vessels. Ancient aboriginal cave drawings depict the enormous Chinese vessels that are said to have reached Australian shores. Aboriginals in the far west of central Queensland still tell of how many “dreamtimes” ago, distinctive yellow men came from the south looking for their homeland in the north.
据说，关于神秘的“南方大陆”的简单传说很早就出现在中华历史中。这片“南方大陆”可以在中华古老的地图中得到验证，那里面勾画出了澳洲海岸的轮廓。按照中国古人的想法，古老的南方大陆是一片广袤的土地，富产黄金和其他稀有矿产。有意思的是，在现代社会，当19世纪50年代中国报纸登出澳洲的淘金热时，非常多的中国人选择到这广阔的大陆去开辟新天地。
A belief of a mysterious “land to the south” is said to have existed since very early Chinese history. This ‘land to the south’ can be verified by ancient maps, which display Australia’s basic coastal outline. According to ancient thought, the great land in the south was a vast continent, which was said to be plentiful in gold and other precious minerals. Coincidentally, in our modern times, when news of ‘gold strikes in Australia’ appeared in Chinese newspapers in the 1850’s there were large numbers of Chinese who chose to try their luck in this vast southern land.
中国人在明朝伟大的探险时代走遍了半个地球，如果不是由于后来的变故，那时的中国人也许会环游全球了。当远洋船队返回中国后，明帝朱棣已然体衰势危，中国也开始走上闭关锁国的道路。随后继任的历代皇帝严禁任何航海计划，停止建造或修补远洋船只，最终导致大部分关于这些伟大的航海记录被藏匿或销毁。
Half the world was in China’s grasp during this great exploratory time of the Ming Dynasty, and the rest could easily have been fully circumnavigated; yet when these great fleets returned, Emperor Zhu Di lost control and instead China at the time took an about face and turned its sights inward. Succeeding emperors forbade new voyages and stopped all building and repair of ocean vessels and finally, most of the records of the triumphs of these remarkable expeditions were hidden or destroyed.
也许，中国伟大的航海发现所留下的考古遗迹会在将来的某一天被人们所认知。对于新的发现，人们往往需要经过一段时间才会接受。那么，这些新发现也许还要经过更多年的辩论之后，才能真正改变现在教科书中的说法。
Perhaps the remaining archaeological evidence of China’s extraordinary voyage of discovery will be brought more fully to light eventually. As new findings generally take some time to be accepted, they might be further debated for many more years to come before any changes are finally made to our present day textbooks.@
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