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Dighton
Rock on world-wide
Television
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Finally the world famous Dighton Rock is going to appear on World-wide Television!
It will be part of a documentary series about the 15th century Chinese Admiral, Zheng He who commanded a vast armada of some of the largest wooden sailing vessels every built. Did Zheng He beat Columbus to America by 71 years? This two hour documentary, co-produced by Paladin Invision and drawn in part from the best-selling book "1421" by Gavin Menzies, explores the riddle.
The author, a retired British submarine commander, together with his publishing companies (Transworld in Great Britain and Harper Collins in U. S. A.) created enormous publicity with this theory and had tremendous success in sales in England, throughout Europe and also the United States. The author launched his paper back editions in England October 2003 and in January 2004 in the U.S.
The documentary series will explore the controversial theories put forward by Gavin Menzies that the Chinese discovered America seventy years before Columbus. It involved filming in fifteen different countries including United States, India, China, Indonesia, United Kingdom, Caribbean, Bimini, Africa, Guadalupe, Oman, Malaysia, Indonesia, Italy and even Portugal.
Paladin Invision is a co-venture between two of Britain’s most internationally respected documentary film-makers: William Cran of Invision Productions and Clive Syddall of Paladin Pictures. Specialists in transatlantic co-productions, they have produced more than 500 hours of programming, spanning history, the arts, religion and currents affairs. Their programs have been made and sold around the world and they have won several international prizes.
BACKGROUND
For more than fifty years I have been interested in any news or publications concerning world discoveries. It has been my hobby, my “mistress”. So when I heard that Captain Gavin Menzies made a presentation at the Royal Geographic Society, in London, England, in the Spring of 2002, defending the hypothesis that the Chinese discovered America before 1421, I made it my business to obtain a copy of the video of his speech. To me Mr. Menzies did not make any positive points sustaining his presentation. I decided then that it was necessary for me to respond to his claims
Reviewing his book -- “1421 – Year that China discovered America”, I saw three incorrect assumptions
(1) Mr. Menzies uses the Nautical Chart of 1424 as the basis for his Chinese hypothesis, but admits that this map is Portuguese. He re-positions the map to fit his theory that the Chinese discovered America.
(2) He states that the Newport Tower, in Rhode Island, was built by the Chinese sailors, when there are many other and more plausible explanations to the origins of the tower
(3) He further affirms that the Chinese sailors made the original inscriptions on the face of Dighton Rock, but there are no Chinese hieroglyphs engraved on Dighton Rock.
DIGHTON ROCK & 1421
As the Honorable Curator of the Dighton Rock Museum, Producers from Paladin Invision interviewed me about Mr. Menzies theories and the Dighton Rock, for the documentary series, to be broadcast on PBS in 2004.
Fig. No.1: Dr. Luciano da Silva, in the Library with his name, being filmed in Portugal by Director David Wallace, Director of the Paladin Invision Productions.
Fig. No. 2 – Dr. Luciano da Silva being interviewed by Director David Wallace while Producer, Lucy van Beek looks on, at the Dighton Rock State Park, in U. S. A.
Fig. No. 3 - Historical Photo taken on August 16, 2003.
From left to right: Neil Laycock (Sound), from Australia; Peter Harvey, (Cameraman) from England);
Gavin Menzies (author) from England; David Wallace (Director)
Lucy van Beek (Producer) from England Dr. Luciano da Silva, from Bristol, RI , USA.
Many thanks to the State Officials
I want to express here publicly my sincere thanks to the Dighton Rock State Park team for their cooperation and readiness for the arrival of the team from Paladin Invision.
Since 1977, the 8 x 8 feet Plexiglas, in front of the Dighton Rock was NEVER removed. John Roberts, the Manager of the Dighton Rock Museum, became determined to remove it, so that the cameraman could work more freely in front of the rock itself. It was not an easy operation, but he did it. And then he put it back like new!
My thanks also go to Tim Mello, Steven Bates, and Jamie Pacheco for their cooperation. The team from England was very pleased with the way they were received, because the Dighton Rock team corresponded to their needs. Job well done. My sincere thanks.
