Czerneda, Julie E. "Out of China"
Divergence: 1301 CE
What if: A Chinese scholar discovered the means of transmitting the Bubonic Plague at the start of the 14th Century, and sent word of his finding to Europe.
Summary: After Europe is spared the ravages of the Black Death, various Chinese practices are adopted in the West until bureaucracy begins to stifle progress.
Published: In ReVisions (eds. Julie E. Czernada and Isaac Szpindel), q.v.