Tōngfāng tûdì; Traditional Chinese for 'Land of the Orient'

spendabuck

Banned
This world is very different from our own. The main POD however happened around 1421. The emperor decided to have a few of Zheng He's fleet explore a bit further, expanding relations with more civilizations, thus causing more trade. However, the fleet got caught in the same current that led Bartolomeu Dias to the Cape of Good Hope. However, as they got out of the current, Zheng He was not in Africa, nor was he in Eurasia. He called this land Xīn de tûdì; New Land. However, around 70 years later, a Genoese sailor by the name of Christopher Columbus would find the same land, under the assumption that he was in the Indies, as he did in our timeline. However, colonization of the New World wouldn't end for the Chinese, for despite the new emperor they obtained IOTL decided to become more isolated & focus on self defense, ITTL the emperor wanted to be more focused on two things; trade & expanding the empire. However, these aren't the only PODs in this world; in Polynesia, exotic birds such as moa still roam, now serving as work animals for the Maori; in what we know as Oregon, the Chinook & other various tribes know how to smith metal tools & weapons, forming kingdoms; shortly after Chinese discovery, the Inca begin exploring the Pacific Ocean. This world is not our own; this is Tōngfāng tûdì. This is the Land of the Orient.
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Also, if I'm inaccurate about some things or some things are implausible, please inform me; I'm only beginning to learn about Old World history in school (just entered 7th grade)
 
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Some questions and points:

Christopher Columbus is generally accepted to have been Genoese, not Venetian
How did the Moa manage to survive in Polynesia and New Zealand?
How did the Native American tribes manage to be more advanced in this world than in OTL?
Why do the Chinese have expansionist ambitions? China has never really been all that much about randomly expanding, it was almost always in retaliation (the conquest of the Mongols was retaliation against them from centuries of raiding, for example). What interests could they have in this new world (especially when you consider how distant the Americas are if you're travelling across the pacific)?

How do the PODs all link? Or is it just a lucky coincidence that they all happened to occur?
 
Just a note:


"Xīn de tûdì" (新的土地) translates more accurately as "The new dirt" or "The new soil." One would not name a continent after it. Also, you got your pinyin intonation marks wrong.

I think you intend to name your timeline Dōngfāng tǔdì (东方土地). Again, you got the pinyin off. Also, this translates as "Eastern dirt" or "Eastern soil", again not quite what you intend. Finally, it's hard for me to imagine China referring to itself as the east; 'the orient' was a European term; it's not for nothing that the actual Chinese name for China is 中国, or the central country (everyone likes to think of themselves as the center of the world. Well, except in ancient Europe where Jerusalem was in the T-O maps.)
 

spendabuck

Banned
Some questions and points:

Christopher Columbus is generally accepted to have been Genoese, not Venetian
How did the Moa manage to survive in Polynesia and New Zealand?
How did the Native American tribes manage to be more advanced in this world than in OTL?
Why do the Chinese have expansionist ambitions? China has never really been all that much about randomly expanding, it was almost always in retaliation (the conquest of the Mongols was retaliation against them from centuries of raiding, for example). What interests could they have in this new world (especially when you consider how distant the Americas are if you're travelling across the pacific)?

How do the PODs all link? Or is it just a lucky coincidence that they all happened to occur?
Thank you for the feedback.

For starters, I'm going to change him from Venetian to Genoese after this reply.

The main reason for the extinction of the moa (from what I've heard) was overhunting. So, in this timeline, the Maori just didn't hunt them as much (the same way a few timelines have Pleistocene fauna surviving in the New World), thus causing them to remain extant. As for how they got to the rest of Polynesia, the Maori stayed connected to Polynesia, thus allowing for them to become common throughout the region, mostly being domesticated for work, meat, & in some cases (if moas would make suitable mounts, which I'm assuming due to ostriches making suitable mounts) mounts.

The Northwestern Native American tribes were able to be more advanced due to bronze & iron in the region. You see, many pieces of metal such as copper, bronze, gold, & iron were able to land on the shores of Northwestern states IOTL from Asian countries as well, however there was only enough to make jewelry such as noserings & earrings. However, ITTL, the metals came in larger amounts, some of which were large enough to smith a few tools & weapons. That being said, ITTL there were also large amounts of iron in the region, thus allowing for many Northwestern tribes to advance to the Iron Age & form kingdoms (and other government types).

Finally, regarding China's ambitions; you see, ITTL, China was poorer, even with the Silk Road & Indian Ocean Trade Route, due to there being a large 'Renaissance' of sorts, and after a while, many resources were used up, so the emperor wanted to find new trading partners, which led Zheng He & his fleet to west Africa, where he did find various kingdoms, not to mention how after a while the Chinese discovered the Inca Empire & the Mountain of Silver in the Andes. Also, they didn't cross the Pacific; they went around India, past the Middle East, & by the east coast of Africa, & then began to turn around at South Africa. However, there was a storm, & they got trapped in a current, which led them to what is OTL Brazil. Similarly to Columbus' expedition, Zheng He & his crew collected samples of flora, fauna, goods, & native people, & brought them back to the emperor, who decided to have Zheng He return to the New World & set up a colony.

P.S. The PODs aren't connected to each other.

Also, I know that the Chinese wouldn't refer to themselves as the Orient; that's just the timeline's name. Also, Google Translator translated 'Land of the Orient' to Tūngfāng tûpì (and the u's wrong because I don't have access to the correct U on my iPad). If you know the true translation, I'll change the title. ;)
 
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