An old movie, The Day the Earth Stood Still, (directed by Robert Wise, produced by Julian Blaustein, Screenplay by Edmund H. North, and based on the 1940 novel, Farewell to the Master, written by Harry Bates), was released in 1951 costing $995,000 in production and grossing $1,850,000 in box office sales including theatric rental. This old black and white film was about an advanced alien visiting the Earth to warn the warring Earthlings that it would be too dangerous to threaten each other with nuclear weapons. The hostility between nations on Earth will not only subject the primitive human civilization to destruction but will also harm the harmonious Universe. Hence, the alien, after demonstrated his superior intelligence and power, delivered a clear message to the Earthlings through a gathering of international scientists: “If you do not stop squabbling and threatening each other (and the universe) with nuclear weapons, the advanced beings will have no choice but annihilate the Earth planet”. Obviously, this low-budget film by Hollywood standard did not score a big hit, though it carried a gigantic message for mankind. The nations on Earth today are not only still quarreling but worst of all still continuing to develop nuclear weapons promoted by prejudice, racial discrimination and hatred against one another. The ill feelings and military threats of humans among nations are principally due to misunderstanding and ignorance or misinterpreting and disrespecting the evolution of human civilization and history. The North-Wise film shows that the true human history is so minute in the universe time scale and its correct course is to develop a harmonious Earth Planet as a part of the harmonious Universe. This message has triggered my interest in writing the present article concerning finding the truth about the history of America and how human and Earth development may be critically dependent on the truth - Who had discovered America?

The title subject is meant to provoke serious scholarly research on the above question. The Earth scholars have the responsibility to find and deliver the truth about history (the advanced alien in the above film trusted the scientists to deliver his message to the national leaders on Earth). The answer to the question is very important because the truth can help correct misconceptions and misinterpretation of the recent Earth history which clearly exhibited human prejudice and racial discrimination as the source of human conflicts. Finding correct answer to the question above would shed some light on the development of human civilization (European, Asian, African and American) and their interactions as well as how they might have developed differently if the truth were known. Would it be possible, by knowing the truth and the existence of advanced civilization, the Earthlings might leverage its past and progress to a more harmonious
‘Planet’ future rather than engaging in violent atrocities committed in conquest, colonization and wars?
  
Ample evidence suggest that the Oriental people discovered the American Continent. One cannot brush aside these evidences simply because they were not scholarly discovered. Their importance lies in the fact that the Western and Eastern civilizations are coupled through this type of historical event. The Orient visited America way before Columbus perhaps multiple times. They elected to leave the American Continent in peace rather than practicing colonialism as did the Western powers, the Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, and British. If colonialism were not practiced in the past centuries, the Earth world would be in a more harmonious state today.

Christopher Colombo (aka Columbus, an Italian, 1450-1506), completed four voyages (1492-1503) across the Atlantic Ocean under the auspices of the Catholic Monarchs of Spain. He initiated the Spanish colonization of the New World, hence referred as a colonizer by historians. Colombo’s voyages turned exploration to conquest and colonization (committed atrocities against the natives) that lasted several centuries. Contrary to common belief, there are nine categories of evidence that support the theory that the Chinese had discovered America way before the time Columbus explored the New World. We shall present them below category by category with reference names so the readers can search further for details. Some of these findings may be ‘non-scholarly’ established circumstantial evidence but each category deserves a serious scientific investigation. Collectively they present a convincing proof that the Chinese discovered America (particularly North America) but they left the New World in peace.

The nine categories of evidence: 

I. Ancient Maps – Several ancient maps have shown that America (including today’s California) was included. (Missionary Dr. Hendon Harris maps, Charlotte Harris Rees, Secret Maps of the Ancient World, Dr. Siu Leung Lee, 1602 Chinese world map proves Chinese circumnavigation before 1430 and Ming Chinese pioneered in developing America, and 1507 Waldseemuller map and 1570 Ortelius Map)

II. Huge Stone Anchor – In Ming Dynasty, Zheng He made seven exploratory voyages using fleets of large ships (many times bigger than the later Columbus ships) reaching as far as America from China. The stone anchor discovered off coast of California could only be used by Zheng’s large ships. (Charlotte Rees, photos)

III. Carved Calligraphy of Chinese Symbolic Words – Many carvings were discovered on huge boulders and rock walls in North America, and these carvings were identified as Chinese symbolic language. (Petroglyph and Pictograph, John A. Ruskamp, Jr. Asiatic Echoes and H. Mike Xu, Origin of the Olemec Civilization)

IV. Ancient Artifacts – Many ancient artifacts were discovered in South and North America. (Charlotte Harris Rees, the Asiatic Fathers of America, 2006)

V. Plant Species - Peanuts traveled from South America to Asia across the Atlantic Ocean and back to North America. California giant Sequoia tree was found on ancient map. (Charlotte Rees)

VI. Clues in the Language – Chinese and American Indians have some common language, for example, the greeting, hao, used by both. The word Peru came from the Chinese word Biru meaning white dew. Ortelius map of Peru, 1574, showed R. de China (river of Chin) and Da Rien which means tall people (Da Ren in Chinese) (Francisco A. Loayza, Chinese Arrived Before Columbus: an Archaeological, Transcendeantal Thesis, 1948)

VII. Chinese Pyramid – Pyramids in South America were attributed to be built with Chinese supervision. (Dr. Robert Schoch, Voyages of Pyramid Builders, 2003)

VIII. Human DNA – Though denials were promoted, the four main haplogroups (types of mtDNA) prevailing in American Indians rarely found in Asia, but the ‘founding’ haploytpes are shared between the two continents. (Dr. Simon Southerton of Australia, Losing a Lost Tribe, 2004)

IX. Historical Trails – Ancient trails travelled by ancient visitors manifesting the arrival of Chinese were retraced by modern believers including the “Medicine Wheel”. (Charlotte Rees, Did Ancient Chinese Explore America?, 2013 and references in I.)

The above evidence lends strong proof that the Chinese indeed discovered America. The Ming Court allowed Zheng He to explore the New World beyond China Sea in seven voyages between 1405-1433, but after learning the New World being a primitive civilization, the King ordered destruction of  Zheng’s maritime records and banned further exploration by forbidding construction of large ships, a clear intention of leaving the New World in peace with no desire to conquer or colonize it. Just imagine if this knowledge were known to Columbus, perhaps Christopher might take a different approach to the New World from practicing colonization and slavery? Knowing that the Chinese had more advanced civilization and left America alone; perhaps the Western Courts would follow suit. Then the Western Nations might not focus on naval competition leading to colonial wars and eventually invading China. Perhaps Japan would not feel inferior and wanted to copy the West, militarism, colonialism and all. Perhaps, the belief in superiority of Western civilization and the doctrine of superior races (such as Anglo-Saxon-British Empire, German-Nazis or Japanese-Imperial Japan) would never flourish to create two world wars.  

The Chinese were never an aggressive people (no DNA of 'colonialism'). The Chinese had always been advanced in culture, technologies and philosophies. Their defeats by the Western powers including the Japanese were never because they were inferior or primitive rather because they had long adopted ‘the harmonic world’ as their political philosophy. Ironically, today the right wings of Japan and the U.S. are touting a ‘China Threat’ as a military dogma to justify arms race and military expansion. This is the precise wrong approach that had led to WW I and II.

If the Chinese who first came to America decided to colonize America like the Western explorers did, what would be America like today? Researching the true answer to the central question above should make us think - in the light of the alien wisdom in the North-Wise movie. The West and East civilization rivalry is not a superior versus inferior confrontation. The East need not feel inferior and the West can not feel superior. The Japanese should remember that their founding masters/teachers were the Chinese scholars in the first place. Asians had to absorb the Western technologies just like the renaissance had been benefitted from the Eastern civilization. On Earth Planet, mankind should have learned the evils of colonialism and imperialism from the past and the evil of socialism and capitalism in the present. The Greeks and all earthlings must realize, we must help ourselves and then others to be a harmonious planet!

Dr. Victor Chang, Co-chairman for overall planning and administration, Southern California Committee for Commemorating the 70th Anniversary of Ending WWII

1.  Introduction (前言)

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the end of WWII.  We believe it is important to remember the close bond between Americans and Chinese during WWII, which was based on a common desire for peace, justice and freedom.

2.  The Mukden Incident (九一八事变)

For Americans, WWII started on December 7, 1941 when the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor.  However, China’s war with Japan started more than 10 years earlier when the Japanese Kwantung Army engineered the Mukden Incident on the night of September 18th, 1931as a pretext for the Japanese invasion of northeastern China, known as Manchuria.

At the time, China was militarily and economically inferior to Japan.  Therefore, Chiang Kai-shek tried his best to avoid an all-out war with Japan, and instead relied heavily on diplomacy and international pressure.  However, Japan’s encroachment into China was non-stop. Serious battles along the Great Wall occurred and stopped short of Peking (Beijing) when a truce was arranged. Under the terms of the truce, Chinese troops were barred from the areas of northern China occupied by Japanese armies.

3.  The Marco Polo Bridge Incident (七七事变)

A full scale war with Japan was avoided for six years. During that period China built up her industrial bases, modernized her armed forces and unified her people.  Japan's hardline military leaders felt that they needed to accelerate their pace of aggression before China became too strong to conquer.  On July 7, 1937 they engineered another incident at the historical Marco Polo Bridge near Peking.  Peking fell to the Imperial Japanese Army on August 8, 1937.

4.  Battle of Shanghai  (八一三淞沪会战)

The Japanese Army originally planned to attack from northern China to southern China, as it would be difficult for the poorly equipped Chinese army to defend against mechanized Japanese forces on flat land.  General Chiang Kai-Shek decided to initiate another battle front in Shanghai on August 13, 1937 in order to divert the Japanese direction of attack and force them to attack from east to west, which would be more favorable to the Chinese defenders.  The battle of Shanghai lasted three months and incurred about 200,000 Chinese and 70,000 Japanese casualties. Dogged Chinese resistance at Shanghai was aimed at stalling the rapid Japanese advance, giving much needed time for the Chinese government to move vital industries to the interior. The Chinese soldiers had to rely primarily on small-caliber weapons in their defense of Shanghai, against an overwhelming onslaught of air, naval, and armored striking power from Japan.  In the end, Shanghai fell and China lost a significant portion of its best troops. The resistance put up by Chinese forces, however, came as a massive shock to the Japanese invaders.

5.  The Chinese Air Force prior to 1941 (1941年前的中国空军)

The young Chinese air force fought bravely and brilliantly and incurred heavy losses on a much larger and more experienced Japanese air force in the first 6 months of the all-out war.  However, as the war progressed the Chinese air force faced the loss of their most experienced fighter pilots and rapid depletion of their combat capable airplanes, as China didn’t manufacture any aircraft. At this critical moment the Soviet Union not only supplied aircraft to China but also sent a volunteer air group to fight secretly against Japan until they were withdrawn by the summer of 1940.  In total, there were 237 Soviet airmen who died in China during this period. 
 
September 13, 1940 was the darkest day for the Chinese air force when the Soviet made Chinese fighters first encountered the legendary Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighters.   Within several minutes 13 Chinese fighters were shot down by Zeros, which suffered only one loss.  From that time on, the Chinese air force was unable to put up any organized resistance against the indiscriminate Japanese bombing of Chinese cities. This dire situation lasted until the arrival of the Flying Tigers in December 1941.

6.  First Air Raid on Japan (到日本空投传单)

The one rare bright moment was on May 20, 1938, when Captain Huansheng Hsu and Captain Yanbo Tong flew two U.S. made Martin B-10 bombers to execute a secret mission - to drop leaflets over major cities of Japan. These leaflets were “Open Letter to the Japanese People” to expose the war crimes committed by the Japanese Imperial Army in China. This mission was the very first air raid by the anti-fascism allied forces over Japan during WWII, almost 4 years before the Doolittle Raid on April 18, 1942.
 
7.  Doolittle Tokyo Raid (杜立德空袭东京)

On April 18, 1942 sixteen U.S. Army Air Forces B-25B Mitchell medium bombers were launched without fighter escort from the U.S. Navy's aircraft carrier USS Hornet deep in the Western Pacific Ocean, each with a crew of five men, under the command of Lieutenant Colonel James "Jimmy" Doolittle. The plan called for them to bomb military targets in Japan, and to continue westward to land in China. Fifteen of the aircraft reached China, and the other one landed in the Soviet Union. All but three of the crew survived, but all the aircraft were lost.
After the raid, the Japanese Imperial Army conducted a massive sweep through the eastern coastal provinces of China, searching for the surviving American airmen and applying retribution on the Chinese who aided them, and killed many Chinese civilians.

The raid caused negligible material damage to Japan, but it succeeded in its goal of raising American morale and contributed to Admiral Yamamoto's decision to attack Midway Island in the Central Pacific—an attack that turned into a decisive strategic defeat of the Imperial Japanese Navy by the U.S. Navy in the Battle of Midway.
    
8.  Flying Tigers and 14th Air Force (飞虎和第14航空军)

As the Soviet Union completely withdrew her fighter and bomber squadrons from China by the summer of 1940, Chiang Kai-Shek asked for American combat aircraft and pilots. President Roosevelt realized an eventual conflict with Japan was unavoidable, and therefore, recognized the importance of helping China from being totally conquered by Japan.  The American Volunteer Group, or flying tigers, was the result of a covert operation directed by Roosevelt. The main mission was to defend the Burma Road, the only lifeline to China at the time. The AVG was only active between December 20, 1941, and July 4, 1942.  However, AVG pilots earned official credit for destroying 296 enemy aircraft, while losing only 14 pilots in combat.  On July 4, 1942 the AVG was disbanded. It was replaced by the 23rd Fighter Group of the United States Army Air Force, which was later absorbed into the U.S. Fourteenth Air Force with General Chennault as commander.

9.  The HUMP Airlift (驼峰空运)

Between the closing of the Burma Road in 1942 and its re-opening as the Ledo Road in 1945, foreign aid was largely limited to what could be flown in over "The Hump".  The India-China ferrying operation was the largest and most extended strategic air bridge (in   volume of cargo airlifted) in aviation history until exceeded in 1949 by the Berlin airlift. It played an invaluable role in sustaining China’s resistance against the aggression of Japan.  Altogether, 2197 American airman died in China during the war.

10.  CBI (中印缅战区)

CBI was an umbrella term, used by the United States military during World War II for the China and India-Burma (IBT) theaters. US forces in practice were usually overseen by General Joseph Stilwell, the Deputy Allied Commander in China. Well-known US (or joint Allied) units in the CBI included the Chinese Expeditionary Force, the Flying Tigers, transport and bomber units flying the Hump, the 1st Air Commando Group, the engineers who built Ledo Road, and the 5307th Composite Unit (Provisional), popularly known as "Merrill's Marauders", to which the 75th Ranger Regiment traces its origin.

11.  The Chinese Expeditionary Force (中国远征军)

The overland supply route from India to China had to go through Burma. Therefore, all major battles in northern Burma between 1942 and 1945 were centered on securing a land bridge to China.  After the defeat of the First Chinese Expeditionary Force in 1942, some units went through a difficult retreat to India and were re-equipped and retrained by American advisors. The Chinese troops in India, called X Force, reached three divisions in strength, and launched a major offensive in March 1943 to cover the construction of the Ledo road, advanced from Ledo, through Myitkyina, and successfully met with the Chinese offensive forces on the Yunnan front (called Y Force) at Mangyou, Burma on Jan. 28, 1945.

12.  Concluding Remarks (结语)

On August 14, 1945, after the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan, the Japanese emperor announced Japan’s acceptance of unconditional surrender as dictated by the terms the Allies had set down in the Potsdam Declaration. 

WWII was the most brutal war in human history.  The United States suffered about 407,000 military deaths during the war. At least 18 generals were killed in combat related action. More than three million Chinese soldiers and over 20 million civilians perished in the war of resistance against Japan.  Among them were 268 generals ranked above brigadier general.  The service and sacrifice of the two countries allows us the freedom to live in peace with our neighbors.  Today, we pay tribute to the heroes of both countries and to the families who sacrificed much. It is our hope that we will never again engage in another world conflict.

An interesting paper published by National Academies Press, National Academy of Sciences – 2015 - Diplomacy for the 21st Century: Embedding a Culture of Science & Technology throughout the Department of State, came into my email box and caught my attention. This study paper followed a 1999 report (which established the position of Science and Technology Advisor to the Secretary of State) and highlighted the drastic changes in the world stimulated by science and technology thus their importance in diplomacy for the 21st century. The paper presented 27 recommendations but the central theme is to create an Assistant Secretary of Science & Technology backed by a Science Technology Advisory Board to strengthen the Secretary of State’s leadership in dealing with 21st century diplomacy. By taking a “Whole of Society” (governmental, corporal and social) approach in fulfilling the State Department’s missions with effective embassies around the world means supporting them with enhanced science and technology staffing. I fully agree with this paper’s argument on the importance of science and technology but I am less impressed by its bureaucratic solution to a global competitive issue concerning fundamental professional knowledge and skill set acutely needed in all businesses (including diplomacy) but rooted in education.

The above paper reminded me another white paper published a couple of years ago by the Office of Chief Scientist of Australia, Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the National Interest: A Strategic Approach, a position paper which focuses on philosophical strategies not specific solutions. The Australian position paper mentions a “whole Government Approach” in defining goals of investment in STEM (understanding and impact of STEM to society) and pathways to a better Australia from STEM investment through education. Although this paper offered little specifics (solutions) but it emphasized broad guidelines in education for enhancing STEM: incentives for schools, flexibility for post-compulsory education, corporate and education partnership for workforce and community avenues such as museums, libraries etc. Australia cited the U.S. call for 30% increase in STEM graduates but claimed that Australia is different. I tend to agree with this paper’s philosophy but cannot help feeling thirsty for some specifics.

A very recent article, The Frenzy about High Tech Talent by Andrea Hacker published on July 9th, 2015, New York Book of Review, is a sort of contrarian paper on the STEM focus. Hacker reviews and cites the arguments in the book, Falling Behind? Boom, Bust, and the Global Race for Scientific Talent, authored by Michael S. Teitelbaum, published by Princeton University Press and a number of other books. Teitelbaum argues that we have enough or more STEM graduates than job occupation needs (Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS): 760,000 engineering degree graduates in the coming decade is about five times of the engineering jobs available); we have more STEM students dropping out of STEM fields in colleges (the freshman STEM students fell 1/3 in graduation) due to poor teaching in STEM fields and grim job prospects. The corporations’ complaint of shortage of skilled graduates to fill private sector jobs is hypocrisy as they prefer to hire immigrants under H1-B (262,569 in 2012) who accept lower pay and long working hours. Hacker cited a few differences in student study habit such as heavy tutoring and cram study for tests in Asian countries as well as Finland’s attracting better teachers for teaching lower grades, but disappointedly, Hacker in his review of several books offered no concrete or useful suggestions in clarifying the STEM issue and solving the STEM skill supply and job creation dilemma.

How can there be less demand for engineers, since predictions for STEM say their skills will be sorely needed? The BLS projects that in the decade ending in 2022, the number of engineering jobs will have 10.6 percent rise in the workforce as a whole, albeit not in traditional engineering such as chemical, mechanical and electrical. At the core of the ever-rising global interest in science and technology lies the correlation of the advances in national economies or better livelihood for their citizens with STEM education and STEM jobs. Innovative achievements often lead to improved economic competitiveness abroad and locally produced goods and services with Science and technology elements certainly enhance the lives of people. Although the United States remains the leading nation in terms of military capabilities and economic prowess, but globalization has produced rising powers. Governments and population of almost all countries respect the Science &Technology (S&T) capabilities of the United States. More than 300,000 foreign students enter studies in STEM throughout the U.S. Yet, we see the decline of the U.S. STEM power, for example, low ranking in PISA score and only 4% graduating with BS Engineering in the U.S. versus 31% in China (a cool two million per year). So let me devote the remaining space to discuss this serious issue – how can the U.S. (perhaps any other nation) maintain a lead in S&T or STEM power?  

Let us first look at the STEM population in a country, people who possess STEM knowledge and skill and apply STEM power to their work. We may use a Gaussian curve with its peak located at zero to represent the STEM society, with the height representing the advance level of STEM and its width at a given STEM level representing its population. The area under the half curve represents the STEM power of a society; the highly skilled are generally less in number (on top of the Gaussian curve) and the lower skilled are on the lower curve with more population as applicator or user of STEM. Increasing advanced research raises the height of STEM curve; creating more jobs requiring STEM skills increases the width of the curve. The size of the area under the curve represents the total STEM power. Increasing STEM professionals and STEM jobs is a chicken and egg issue. Students will be less interested in STEM studies because of a lack of STEM jobs; conversely STEM jobs will not be created if adequate STEM skills are not available. In order to increase STEM power and to break the dilemma, the following policies may be considered:

1. Raising STEM power requires investment to produce STEM skilled people and to create STEM dependent jobs. A more effective and risk sharing policy is to create a STEM tax to tax all businesses and business transactions with a STEM tax. Use STEM taxes to fund S&T research and development jobs. It is justifiable to tax corporations who do not maintain a percentage of their revenue to do STEM related research since all businesses are benefitted by STEM.

2. Applying STEM income tax on foreign workers on the same job not performed by domestic citizens; the rational is that the foreign workers will be benefitted from STEM education and STEM job.

3. Applying STEM tax on research, development and manufacturing employment on foreign land offered by domestic corporations since STEM jobs are exported.

4. Offering scholarships in STEM subjects for domestic students but maintaining competitive standard with no racial bias or racial protection with the purpose of raising and sustaining STEM power by getting a healthy return on investment.

5. Taxing foreign students on scholarship or assistantship with STEM tax through their universities, eliminating subsidizing foreign students in the same manner taxing foreign workers learning on the STEM jobs.

6. Subsidizing high school expense and domestic college student tuition for citizens working and earning abroad on STEM jobs. Encouraging older STEM workers to relocate to foreign STEM jobs so more domestic STEM jobs will be available for STEM graduates.

7. Applying STEM tax to all highly paid jobs such as sports and entertainment performers whose jobs obviously depended on S&T and other STEM professionals.

Under a global competitive STEM world, advancement in S&T will make lower STEM skills obsolete by nature of progress. Automation will replace or reduce lower level STEM jobs. Hence, we need to constantly create higher level STEM jobs and keep them prestigious so that STEM professionals will be well respected in the society. A simple across the board STEM tax system is perhaps the sensible way to support the STEM power and sustain a STEM society in a global competitive environment.