Chinese Junk Ship Expedition on the 21st century Maritime Silk Road.

Expedition, Feature-length documentary Movie, TV/Streaming Series, IMAX Documentary Movie.

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A cultural project that will unite China and Brazil, with the participation of many Asian and African countries, along the 21st century Maritime Silk Road.

THE 21ST CENTURY MARITIME SILK ROAD
In 2013 President Xi Jinping launched the Belt and Road Initiative, to unite the world in an infrastructure project inspired by the original Silk Road from centuries ago. In 2017 China extended BRI to Latin America, describing it as a “natural extension of the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.” Today 139 countries are part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

A CULTURAL EXPEDITION TO UNITE MANY COUNTRIES
There are those who believe that a Chinese expedition might have discovered the Americas decades before the Europeans. This educational project will investigate this possibility, and show to the world the grandeur of China through the resulting productions.

OBJECTIVES

Build, in China, a replica of a 1400s Chinese Junk Ship, with the seal of Unesco Intangible Heritage. The ship’s construction itself will be an historical educational event;
Navigate from China to Brazil, along the Maritime Silk Road, promoting the extraordinary infrastructure project that will benefit mankind, like the orginal Silk Road did centuries ago;
Broadcast to millions of people along the way, especially for schools around the world, who will follow the voyage;
Host events in eight countries that were also visited by admiral Zheng He in the 1400s. The Chinese contributions to those countries now and then will be documented;
Produce a book, a TV/streaming series, and an IMAX giant screen movie to be exhibited in Museums of 40 countries for millions of people, and to all public schools.

Everybody knows that China is a powerful nation. But not everyone knows that China has been a powerful country for centuries. Many great inventions came from China, such as the compass, paper, gunpowder, silk, kite, alcohol, spaghetti, all from China, like the porcelain, and many advances in astronomy, physics, mathematics, arts, metallurgy, engineering, chemistry, seismology, medicine, navigation, and more.

BUILDING IN CHINA AND SURPRISING THE WORLD

We will build, in six months, a replica of an authentic historical Chinese Junk Ship, with the seal of UNESCO. During the construction, students and researchers in China will be able to visit the boatyard, and millions will be able to follow the construction online.

Our ship will be built in China by a traditional family of naval constructors with centuries of experience in building this amazing Junk Ships.

The Chinese Junk Ship from the 15th Century is protected by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. Therefore, our ship will sail with the seal of that entity, attesting the valuable contributions of China to the world.

Producer of the expedition Yuri Sanada, a New York Explorers Club Fellow Member, visiting, for the second time, the shipyard that will build the Expedition’s Junk Ship, in the interior of China. He is in front of a 30-meter long Junk Ship from the 16th century being built for use in film productions in China.

SAILING FROM CHINA TO MANY COUNTRIES BEFORE ARRIVING IN BRAZIL

For 13 months, we will navigate to Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Madagascar, South Africa, and finally Brazil. In each country, we will interact with the local authorities, with commercial and cultural entities, the same way the old Chinese Ships did centuries ago.

The route from China to Brazil of the replica Junk Ship from the year 1400.

In Brazil, we will organize a great public event for the arrival of the Chinese Junk Ship to Rio de Janeiro. It will solidify the cultural and friendship link between the Chinese and the Brazilians.

RESULTING PRODUCTIONS

As we sail halfway around the world, we will capture all the emotions of this incredible adventure in the highest available resolution, using the most modern equipment. We will be able to perpetuate the project in many resulting productions, such as:

Online broadcast during the construction of the historical Junk Ship in China, to be followed by millions worldwide.
Video reports distributed internationally of every phase of the project, including the progress during the many stops along the route, in each one of the 8 countries.
A feature-length documentary film, telling the whole story.
A documentary series for TV and Streaming.
An IMAX movie for the giant Screen Museums around the world, showing the greatness of Chinese contribution to the world, and the images of our expedition.
A photographic book with the most amazing images captured on the expedition.
A narrative book telling the history of China, of the original Zheng-He fleet, and the adventures of our expedition.
And more…

This expedition will result in many cultural products that will tell the adventure and how China was always a great nation, for centuries.

THE HISTORICAL RESEARCH

In 1999  the book Stories and Legends of Discovery of Vera & Yuri Sanada described who may have come to Brazil before the official discoverer, the Portuguese Cabral. Among them, the Chinese that might have arrived somewhere in the Americanas long before the Europeans.

In 2002 the British submarine commander Gavin Menzies released the book 1421 – The year that the Chinese discovered the World, which became a bestseller worldwide, chronicling the exploits of the Chinese Admiral Zheng He.

The "1421" research team and I were recently made aware of Yuri Sanada's proposal to build a replica of one of Admiral Zheng He's great junks. The team will build the magnificent boat in one of the last remaining traditional shipyards in China, and then sail it all the way to Brazil, arriving in Rio de Janeiro. This is a tremendous undertaking, and will greatly help us in our understanding of medieval Chinese ship technology and capabilities. We wish them the best of luck with their adventure. Admiral Gavin Menzies

PROJECTS IN DEVELOPMENT