November 11, 2023
The Eastern Seaboard Rectangle
The illustration called The Eastern Seaboard Rectangle (东海岸长方形) was derived by the author from The Selden Map of the Bodleian Library, The Four Seas concept of the Han (汉朝), The Mandate of Heaven (天命) of the Zhou (周), The Polar Quadrilateral (极四边形) of John C. Didier and The Open and Closed Seas Treatises of Grotius (格劳秀斯) and Selden (约翰塞尔登).
The major powers may wish to avoid an East-West clash of civilizations originating in the Taiwan Strait. The author has compared the situation in the Taiwan Strait to that of the Hellespont Strait about the time of the Trojan War. Eric H. Cline (埃里克·H·克莱恩), in his book 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed, has commented on the demise of multiple civilizations about that time. The Mycenaean and Hittite civilizations -- as part of an East-West clash -- were just two of these civilizations. There were many reasons these civilizations may have fallen including war, the invasion of the Sea Peoples, migrations, rebellion, earthquakes, pestilence and interruption of supply chains of integrated economies. It appears though that a megadrought lasting 150-300 years may have been the most important factor.
D. Carlton Rossi (D·卡尔顿·罗西) contends that the Mycenaeans may have blocked the Hellespont Strait during the ten year period of the Trojan War (特洛伊战争). This action would have deprived Troy -- which was a vassal state of the Hittite civilization -- of tariff revenue. If both sides of the conflict were also faced with a megadrought then the situation would have become dire.
During the 17th century of exploration and exploitation, the European powers were concerned about whether the seas were open or closed. Two opposing viewpoints were published. Grotius favoured an open concept while Selden argued for a closed concept.
Selden may not only have interpreted The Selden Map (東西洋航海圖) which was in his estate, but actually contributed to its design. As such he may have believed the North and West Sea to be closed and the East and South Sea in the Four Seas concept to be open. One must qualify though this generalization.
He might have considered the East and South Sea to be closed within cannon shot of the mainland. Furthermore, he could have believed that the sea surrounding the Penghu Islands (澎湖) was closed within cannon shot (在炮弹射击范围内). The islands themselves were inhabited by the Chinese people since the time of the Tang Dynasty so the chain of islands would seem to belong to the mainland. Otherwise, the South Sea is open.
The poet has overlaid geometric designs on The Selden Map. A rectangle defines the four boundaries. To simplify matters, the Kun (坤) represents the North Sea 北海 (Lake Baikal) and marks the Northwest boundary while Qinghai Lake (靑海湖) is the West Sea which defines the Southwest Boundary.
The East boundary though changes with time. During the heyday of the Silk Road, it's the Peng (彭) -- Télin or modern day Tyr, Russia. As maritime trade increases the capital moves eastward to Bejing and the eastern boundary moves past Sakhalin Island (Сахалин). In other words, the West boundary is bounded by the Moon and the East boundary is bounded by the Sun.
His illustration shows the southern boundary of the rectangle. It runs from Lake Qinghai through roughly Quanzhou (泉州市) on to the northern part of Taiwan and then further on to a vertical line lining up with the Sun at the top. Of course, features on the map do not have the geographical accuracy of a modern map.
The poet has perceived embedded, symmetrical, geometric (嵌入式、对称、几何图案) patterns in the map that no one else to date has seen or disclosed to have seen. These patterns are centered on the Compass Rose ( 罗盘玫瑰 ). The center of the compass represents the North Star or if one wants to be more explicit -- the binary system of 11 Draconis (紫微右垣一) and 10 Draconis. The stars rotate around a common barycenter (重心). They are located at the top of the Polar Quadrilateral. The center of the Compass is also at the top of an imagined squared circle. These are defined on the left by the Yanran Inscription (封燕然山銘) and on the right by the center of the void (空 Śūnyatā). A smaller square at the center of the larger square also contains a smaller circle which represents the capital of Beijing. This smaller circle acts as a counterpoint to the center of the compass. All of these geometric patterns overlay an image of the winged Ming Emperor who exhales breath of the four winds.
These are rather extraordinary observations that are apparently unique. The poet claims these embedded images of a private map were purposively hidden by the jurist John Selden who was a polymath (博学者) and perhaps the most brilliant man in England. One might classify these images as heretical as they express a more nuanced view of the debate between open and closed seas in a new area to be defined in the Far East. It is conjectured that Selden was concerned about imprisonment if the full meaning of the private map were understood.
APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Co-operation) will begin on November 11, 2023. It is surmised that President Xi Jinping and President Joe Biden as representatives of the People's Republic of China and the United States respectively will meet at the conference. Undoubtedly, they will discuss the issue of Taiwan. It is therefore imperative that they fully understand The Selden Map which mysteriously disappeared and was rediscovered hundreds of years later.
If a war were to break out between these two superpowers concerning Taiwan then it could catastrophically represent the end of civilization. An East-West clash over the Taiwan Strait (台湾海峡) would parallel its historical counterpart in the Trojan War between the Mycenaeans and Trojans. It is conjectured by the poet that the problem was compounded by a ten year blockade of the Bosphorus Strait (博斯普鲁斯海峡) with the 1000 ships of the Mycenaeans.
One may surmise that China will initially carry through its claim to reunify with Taiwan through a blockade of the island. This action will probably succeed. However, it is anticipated that the United States will counter with a blockade of Middle East oil. This will be reminiscent of its blockade of oil to Japan prior to the beginning of WWII. China is highly dependent on imports of this oil. While it has a large navy, it is not a "blue water" navy. Recently, the United States sent two carrier groups to the Middle East in response to the Hamas-Israel War.
Remember, though, that the dominant factor in the collapse of various civilizations around 1177 BCE was climate change as defined by megadrought (特大干旱). Today, it is almost impossible to predict the ravages of climate change because it is man-made and global. Drought may be followed by floods. Both of these may affect crops and lead to widespread famine. For example, the Yangzte River (扬子江) flooded and dried up affecting millions of acres of crops and water supply.
If an actual war were to break out between the United States and China over Taiwan then it could trigger a nuclear confrontation. A nuclear bomb dropped on any city would create fallout which would affect climate for several years. Temperatures would drop, ironically slowing global warming. However, clouded skies would also block sunlight needed by crops. Famine would result. Mankind would have made a catastrophic situation regarding climate change into a matter of extinction of entire species.
In conclusion, man must confront and tame the disharmony in his own self. He must also endeavour to harmonize relations with other human beings. Finally, it is necessary for human beings to live in balance with Nature in order to ensure the survival of all life on Earth. 我们必须回到花园。"We've got to get ourselves back to the garden". (CSNY)
D. Carlton Rossi
2023年11月11日
埃里克·克莱恩 (Eric H. Cline)，《公元前 1177 年：文明崩溃之年》，普林斯顿大学出版社：普林斯顿和牛津，2021 年。
Eric H. Cline, 1177 BC: The Year Civilization Collapsed, Princeton University Press: Princeton and Oxford, 2021.
D. 卡尔顿·罗西 (D. Carlton Rossi)，赫勒斯滂海峡和台湾海峡沿岸的海妖召唤引发的疯狂，2023 年 1 月 17 日。
Thesis
Madness induced by the Siren Calls on the Shores of the Hellespont and Taiwan Straits
January 17, 2023
Part I
Part II
Part III
Part IV
