Vilas County news. [volume] (Eagle River, Vilas County, Wis.) 1896-1927, 1901-02-04
AMERICAS DISCOVERY MADE BY
CHINESE BuDDHlsTs IN 4ss.
VALUABLE FIND IN PEkIN
A Document Telling of the Discovery
of Fusang Unearthed in Looting
a PaIace-Many Facts OF His
tory May Need Much Revising in
Light of This Find.

man? This astounding question is rails
ed by a statement that has just come
from Pekin, reinforced by recent re-
markable discoveries in Mexico In
the loot of one of the palaces in the
forbidden city there was found an
authentic historical document telling
Of the discovery of this continent In
the fifth century of our era by i've
Buddhist monks, who voyaged from
China to distant land, now deemed
certain to have been Mexico.
The document is from the pen OF
a historian named Ii Yen Shan, VINO
lived in the beginning of the seventh
century, and it tells the story as It
was related by one Of those monks,
who, more fortunate than his COM
panions, returned from the New World.
in safety, in the year 499 A. D. He de
scribed the newly discovered country,
which he called Fusang, as situated
some 1000 miles to the east of China.
The distance is stated in Ii, three or
which are about equal to one OF our
miles.
The wonderful discoveries Of the
capitol of the ancient Montezumas by
workmen who were making an excava-
ton for a sewer in Escalileras street,
Immediately back of the great cathe-
dral in the modern City of Mexico,
few days ago, corroborate to an amaz-
ing degree the statements in the his
torical document of Ii Yen Shan.
In the first place no less than a
thousand genuine jade beads were I'M
earthed. No jade in it's natural state
has ever been found in Mexico. China
is the only place where it is found
or even has ben found, so far as is
known.
Second-The ancient Chinese were
as fearless seamen as the N0rsemen.
It is a well-known fact that the ma
riners compass is of Chinese origin.
Time and again Chinese junks have
been found stranded on the shores OF
Alaska, British Columbia and as far
south as Oregon This proves the
seaworthiness of their craft.
Third-The great oceanic current
which flows northward up the eastern
coast of China passes along the south
ern edge of the Aleutian islands chain
and then sweeps down to the south
again, past the shores of Alaska,
British Columbia and California.
Everything set adrift or dropped over
board on the coast of China comes to
A NV This TO11fa
Fourth-Pictures of old matched
rooted shelters in Oaxaca are striking
ly similar to the matched roofs of the
Chinese The peculiar rain coats
worn by the old Mexican porters are
almost precisely like the rain coats of
the Chinese
Fifth-In southern Mexico are found
numerous aboriginal people possess
ing the only true monosyllabic lang
uage-a language in structure singu-
larly like the Chinese-found in that
part of the world. The hieroglyphic
characters used in writing by the
Mayas of ancient Yucatan and Mexico
somewhat resemble those employed by
the Chinese. The Chinese characters
Of today are merely notifications of
hieroglyphic switch are more or less
Photographic.
Sixth-An ancient Chinese symbol
was found carved in a block of stone,
which seemed to have been part of an
ancient altar Other Mexican images,
with figures having Chinese turbans
and Oriental features have been found
in southern Mexico, according to Pro
fessor Saville of the American Mu-
scum of Natural History. He does not
think the Chinese ever liked on this
continent, but admits that there is
striking evidence of the knowledge of
things Chinese in old Mexico.
Here is the original document:
'*Fu-sang is situated about 10000 Ii
to the east of the country of Tahan
and an equal distance to the east of
sprouts resemble those of the bam-
boo, and which serve the natives as
food. The fruit is red and shaped
like a pear and the bark of the tree
is prepared in the same manner as
hemp, to be manufactured into cloth
nd lowered stuffs, and the wood
serves for the construction of houses.
The inhabitants have system of writ
ing, and make paper from tree bark.
They possess neither arms nor troops,
and they never wage war.
According to the laws of the king
dom, there are two prisons, one in the
north, the other in the south. Those
who have committed trifing faults
are sent to the latter, those guilty of
graver crimes to the former. The
male and female prisoners are allow
ed to marry each other and stheir chill
dren are sold as slaves. When man
of superior rank commits a crime the
people assemble in great numbers,
seat themselves opposite to the offend
r, partake of a banquet and take leave
of the condemned person as of one
who is about to die. Cinders are then
haanad about the doomed man For