ThePest179
Banned
What would the impact of say, China 'discovering' the "New World" before the Europeans (Columbus)?
What would the impact of say, China 'discovering' the "New World" before the Europeans (Columbus)?
Nil unless they exploit the discovery. But it is very hard to come up with a reason for China to do so for either reasons of trade or colonization in a pre-Colombian framework. A singular voyage or two, perhaps.
Would anything come of a few small voyages? In what situation would China exploit the discovery?
So how would this effect the later conquests of the Europeans?
It probably wouldn't change much. It's hard to get a situation where China discovers the New World (cultural/economic reasons aside, the Pacific is HUGE compared to the Atlantic), so they would probably discover it only slightly before the Europeans do.
Even if the Chinese do introduce horses/diseases (questionable, it takes more than having a few people walk around on land to spread smallpox; note that Vinland doesn't seem to have done so), that only accelerates the timetable by a few decades; epidemics continued to ravage the Native Americans for centuries OTL, so it won't hinder the conquest notably. There's nothing in California to attract significant Chinese colonization, and much closer areas for them to settle instead, so the Spanish probably don't even have to fight a Chinese colony (a fight the Spanish might quite possibly win if it did happen; the Chinese logistics would be even worse than the Spanish ones, Mexican native auxiliaries would provide the Spanish with enough numbers to have a quantitative edge, and it's not like the Ming exactly covered themselves with glory in the Imjin War even with superior numbers).
There's plenty to interest the Chinese further south though, especially down in what would later become Guatemala, in the Motagua Valley. And closer to home, up north in British Columbia. Could we see Jade Rushes ITTL?
They had plenty of sources much closer to home.
Well, the Spanish had plenty of sources of gold and silver closer to home as well. Didn't stop them from getting interested...
Nope. They would only accept gold and silver.Was China interested in European goods?
Nope. They would only accept gold and silver.
Maybe 'Fusang' becomes a refuge for religious/ethnic/dynastic failures? Like some Warlords flee there on e the next warring states era ends, and pulls a Filibuster?
Well, the Spanish had plenty of sources of gold and silver closer to home as well. Didn't stop them from getting interested...
It was a rhetorical question.
I can't see China really caring about the new world, barring something crazy like a gold rush. But assuming they just run into OTL's California or so, they'll just note how many more uncivilized people's there are and leave.