This book was originally published in Great Britain in 2002 by Transworld Publishers.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 509-536) and index. I. Imperial China. The Emperor's grand plan -- A thunderbolt strikes -- The fleets set sail -- II. The guiding stars. Rounding the Cape -- The New World -- III. The voyage of Hong Bao. Voyage to Antarctica and Australia -- IV. The voyage of Zhou Man. Australia -- The Barrier Reef and the Spice Islands -- The first colony in the Americas -- Colonies in Central America -- V. The voyage of Zhou Wen. Satan's Island -- The treasure fleet runs aground -- Settlement in North America -- Expedition to the North Pole -- VI. The voyage of Yang Qing. Solving the riddle -- VII. Portugal inherits the crown. Where the Earth ends -- Colonizing the New World -- On the shoulders of giants -- Epilogue : the Chinese legacy -- Postscript -- Appendix 1. Chinese circumnavigation of the world, 1421-3 : index of supporting evidence -- Appendix 2. Eyewitness diaries -- Appendix 3. Key charts describing the first navigation of the world -- Appendix 4. The determination of longitude by the Chinese in the early fifteenth century.