Ancient Writing Links China and MesoamericaMany symbols from Mesoamerica's Olmec culture resemble Shang dynasty characters. This may be evidence of an encounter between the two peoples.

The Chinese may have arrived in the New World more than 3,000 years ago, argues Professor Mike Xu, who has spent the past five years studying similarities between Chinese characters and symbols from an ancient Mesoamerican culture known as the Olmec. The symbols for Temple; Building, Mound; Grave; Hillock, and Container are among those that are uncannily similar between the two cultures.