Carbon dating has shown that a controversial map drawn in 1763 by a Chinese cartographer is real, and not a modern forgery, it was claimed yesterday. The map could have an important influence on a re-evaluation of Chinese and Western maritime exploration.

The map was originally unveiled in Beijing on January 16, attracting interest from across the globe. The owner, Liu Gang, a Chinese lawyer and map collector, said at the time that it was an authentic 1763 copy of a 1418 Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) original. The original map has not been found, but if real, the 1763 copy could be proof that it existed. If so, it gives credence to the theory that Chinese sailors traversed the globe long before their European counterparts.

The carbon dating on the 1763 map's paper, undertaken by University of Waikato in New Zealand, showed that the most likely probability of a date, 42.4 percent, was between 1730 and 1810. The second most likely result was between 1640 and 1690.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday evening, Liu said: "The period matches the date written by the cartographer, 1763. I believe that the carbon dating is very useful to confirm the paper of the map is the right year."

Gunnar Thompson, a US expert of ancient maps and early explorers, was also present at the press conference, saying: "This is a copy of the oldest map in the world made according to scientific standards. There is no question of this map's authenticity or accuracy."

"This map can't stand alone, but put in the context of history, there were huge exploration efforts made during previous dynasties such maps must have existed."

Gavin Menzies, author of "1421, The Year China Discovered The World," a controversial book published in 2003 outlining the voyages of Zheng He during the time of Emperor Zhu Di of the Ming Dynasty, including the discovery of America 70 years before Christopher Columbus in 1492, said that historical evidence pointed to the fact that this was a copy of a 1418 original.

However, there remain questions over the authenticity of Liu's map. The carbon dating was only for the paper, not for the ink, or for the time the ink was applied. "Experts cannot identify in which period the ink was put on the map," Liu admitted.

Other experts are less convinced. Geoff Wade, senior research fellow at the National University of Singapore, told China Daily that the map "was a litany of errors, many simplistic." For example, "The representation of China is poor. Why should Chinese cartographers have represented the lands with which they were so familiar so poorly?"

"I am convinced that this map is a 21st-century fake. It was certainly produced by someone educated in simplified characters, meaning since the founding of the People's Republic of China, and the purpose of the map is to support the Menzies thesis, so it was produced within the last four years."

(China Daily March 24, 2006)