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Translated version of the press release here (Editor: Pei Gang)
On 4 August 2025, the National Library of China held a donation ceremony.
Renowned collectors Liu Gang and Chen Yu, along with their spouse, donated 630
types of precious ancient books, maps, and related publications – totalling 3,026
volumes (or pieces) – that they had meticulously collected and preserved over
several decades, to the National Library of China without any form of compensation.
This collection of literary treasures spans a vast timeframe and encompasses a wide
range of subjects, with its highlights concentrated in fields such as astronomy,
geography, mathematics, philosophy, traditional Chinese medicine, health
preservation, and metaphysics, making it of significant academic research value.

In China, there are already very few collectors who have established specialised
collections of ancient texts, and collectors like Liu Gang and Chen Yu, who have
built a collection system with intellectual depth, are even rarer.

Among the numerous donated items is a copy of an ancient map titled ‘Map
of Tribute-Paying Nations from All Over the World.’ Since its existence and
some details were first publicly disclosed by the internationally authoritative
magazine The Economist in January 2006, this map has sparked sustained and
intense debate within the global historical, cartographic, and Sinological
communities, emerging as one of the most controversial and research-worthy
ancient maps of global significance. The copy faithfully reflects the
information of the original ancient map. The world outline depicted in the map,
the foreign place names and customs marked, and especially the geographical
information contained therein that transcends the mainstream understanding of
the time, have been interpreted by some scholars as potentially challenging or
supplementing existing narratives regarding the Age of Discovery, ancient
Chinese worldviews, and the history of Sino-foreign exchanges.

Research into its authenticity, date of creation, information sources, and historical context
has formed an important research topic in the international field of cartographic
history over the past two decades. The inclusion of this copy of the ‘Map of
Tribute-Paying Nations’ in the National Library of China, a national-level
research institution, undoubtedly opens up new and more convenient academic
channels for domestic and international scholars to conduct close-up and
in-depth research into the rich historical codes and diverse cultural values
it contains, and is expected to drive related research to a deeper level.

Donation ceremony
The donation by Liu Gang and Chen Yu was one of the most significant and valuable
private donations received by the National Library of China since 1949,
particularly in the fields of ancient maps and specialised literature. This
collection of precious documents has not only greatly enriched the National
Library’s collection system but has also significantly expanded its holdings
in areas such as the history of science and technology, the history of ideas,
and the history of Sino-foreign exchanges. The National Library has included
this collection in its ‘Ancient Books Special Collection’ for permanent
preservation, further highlighting the unique value and profound significance
of these documents. The significance of Liu Gang and Chen Yu’s donation to the
National Library lies in the transformation of ‘private collections’ into
‘public assets,’ ensuring that the achievements of millennia of civilisation
are preserved for future generations and benefit the public.

Read more online here.

by Timothy James Dimacali, Ateneo de Manila University

New archaeological evidence suggests that ancient inhabitants of the Philippines and Island Southeast Asia had the advanced plant-working technology needed for sophisticated boat building and open-sea fishing.

The ancient peoples of the Philippines and of Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) may have built sophisticated boats and mastered seafaring tens of thousands of years ago—millennia before Magellan, Zheng He, and even the Polynesians.

In a paper in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Ateneo de Manila University researchers Riczar Fuentes and Alfred Pawlik challenge the widely-held contention that technological progress during the Paleolithic only emerged in Europe and Africa.

They point out that much of ISEA was never connected to mainland Asia, neither by land bridges nor by ice sheets, yet it has yielded evidence of early human habitation. Exactly how these peoples achieved such daring ocean crossings is an enduring mystery, as organic materials like wood and fiber used for boats rarely survive in the archaeological record.

But archaeological sites in the Philippines, Indonesia, and Timor-Leste are now providing strong evidence that ancient seafarers had a technological sophistication comparable to much later civilizations.

Microscopic analysis of stone tools excavated at these sites, dating as far back as some 40,000 years ago, showed clear traces of plant processing—particularly the extraction of fibers necessary for making ropes, nets, and bindings essential for boatbuilding and open-sea fishing.

Archaeological sites in Mindoro and Timor-Leste also yielded the remains of deep ocean fish such as tuna and sharks as well as fishing implements such as fishing hooks, gorges, and net weights.Evidence of plant-working technology in ancient human habitations across Island Southeast Asia suggests that the prehistoric peoples of the Philippines and their neighbors possessed both sophisticated seacraft and advanced nautical skills. Credit: Fuentes and Pawlik, 2025

“The remains of large predatory pelagic fish in these sites indicate the capacity for advanced seafaring and knowledge of the seasonality and migration routes of those fish species,” the researchers said in their paper. Meanwhile, the discovery of fishing implements “indicates the need for strong and well-crafted cordage for ropes and fishing lines to catch the marine fauna.”

This body of evidence points to the likelihood that these ancient seafarers built sophisticated boats out of organic composite materials held together with plant-based ropes and also used the same rope technology for open-sea fishing.

If so, then prehistoric migrations across ISEA were not undertaken by mere passive sea drifters on flimsy bamboo rafts but by highly skilled navigators equipped with the knowledge and technology to travel vast distances and to remote islands over deep waters.

Several years of fieldwork on Ilin Island, Occidental Mindoro, inspired the researchers to think of this topic and to test this hypothesis. Together with naval architects from the University of Cebu, they recently started the First Long-Distance Open-Sea Watercrafts (FLOW) Project with the aim of testing raw materials that were probably used in the past, and to design and test scaled-down seacraft models.

The presence of such advanced maritime technology in prehistoric ISEA highlights the ingenuity of early Philippine peoples and their neighbors, whose boat-building knowledge likely made the region a center for technological innovations tens of thousands of years ago and laid the foundations for the maritime traditions that still thrive in the region today.

More information: Riczar Fuentes et al, Testing the waters: Plant working and seafaring in Pleistocene Wallacea, Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports (2025). 

DOI: 10.1016/j.jasrep.2025.105020

Journal information: Journal of Archaeological Science 

By Scott Reeves

Wed 2 July 2025 at 4:00 pm

Throughout history, great civilisations have risen, flourished and then disappeared, leaving behind ruins, legends and a host of unanswered questions. From the jungles of Central America to the deserts of the Middle East, these lost worlds were once pinnacles of human achievement. Now they’ve vanished, and their enduring mysteries continue to captivate archaeologists and historians.

Travel back in time and discover the amazing civilisations that are no longer with us…

Read more here….

The ancient peoples of the Philippines and of Island Southeast Asia (ISEA) may have built sophisticated boats and mastered seafaring tens of thousands of years ago – millennia before Magellan, Zheng He, and even the Polynesians.
Read more about it here.

Yu Heng Wang Research and Innovation Center of Xia Culture of Eagle and Snake
​Guang Bao Liu Eagle and Serpent Xia Dynasty Cultural Research & Innovation Institute

Date Written: March 18, 2022

Chinese abstract:
民间收藏的一对明代成化年制的瓷杯上，出现有南瓜釉彩花纹，经仪器鉴定是1466年，即成化二年制造。这为加文·孟席斯关于郑和船队发现美洲的理论提供了又一强有力的证据支持。

English Abstract:
A pair of porcelain cups made during the reign of Cheng Hua Emperor in the Ming Dynasty in the folk collection have pumpkin glaze patterns on them, which were identified by the instrument as being made in 1466, that is, in the Second year of Cheng Hua. This provides another strong evidence support for Gavin Menzies’ theory that Zheng He’s fleet discovered America.

Please click here to view the research paper.

In the Madura Strait, Indonesia, a landmark discovery has captivated the archaeological world. Homo erectus fossil fragments and the remains of 36 animal species were unearthed beneath the seabed – evidence that early humans thrived on now-submerged plains 140,000 years ago.
This work proves there is still much we don’t know about our past, and it’s thanks to our community that such research continues.
Learn more from Live Science here.