Study On The Compilation And Publication Of Books Of Science And Technology During Ming & Qing Dynasties

Ming & Qing Dynasties witnessed a major historical transition of China,as Well as a comprehensive cultural summarization of Chinese ancient science and technology.During this period,a usual flourish was found in the compilation and publication of books of science and technology,which took on unique patterns and features different from the past,thus reaching an unprecedented historical achievement.Generally speaking,the compilation and publication of books of science and technology during Ming & Qing Dynasties is tripartite,namely,the compilation and publication of books of Chinese traditional science and technology characterized by grand compendium,the sorting-out and publication of ancient books and records of science and technology by way of textual research,and translating and publication of books of western science and technology by borrowing.On these three major fields this dissertation focuses,and is consisted of five chapters.Chapter One deals with the social environment for the compilation and publication of books of science and technology during Ming & Qing Dynasties.Politically,the highly centralized autocracy in Ming & Qing Dynasties aggravated various social contradictions,complicated by the selection of government officials by eight-part essay and widespread practiceof literaty inquisition,thus greatly impeding social development and scientific and technological achievement.Meanwhile,intellectuals,gradually losing their faith in the ruling class and thus detesting and rejecting the practice of selecting government officials by eight-part essay,set their feet in the compilation and publication of books of science and technology.Economically,the development of handicraft industry and commerce carried within itself the seeds of capitalist relations of production,and gave birth to the mercantile class,therefore dramatically enhancing the momentum for the compilation and publication of books of science and technology during Ming & Qing Dynasties.With regard to academic and cultural climate,the trend of pragmatism prompted many intellectual progs in the government and the general pubic in Ming & Qing Dynasties to discard discussion over theoretical or cognitive problems and convert to pragmatism, holding that the optimum policy was to run the country by developing its economy with science and technology.As to the state of publishing industry,the progress in publishing technology and the prosperity in nongovernmental publishing provided a solid technological support and material foundation for the compilation and publication of books of science and technology.Chapter Two focuses on the compilation and publication of medical and agricultural books in Ming & Qing Dynasties.Medical books in Ming & Qing Dynasties exhibited an independent yet complete theoretical system as well as a typical grand compendium in nature as content goes,with Li Shizhen's Compendium of Materia Medica representing the greatest achievement of the compilation and publication of medical books in Ming & Qing Dynasties.The compiler being medical practitioner turned out to a key factor effecting and governing the compilation and publication of medical books.As for the compilation and publication of agricultural books,Compendium of Agricultural Techniques symbolized a departure in content from traditional routine theme of intensive and meticulous farming, with new thoughts and technology of agronomy as well novel approaches of agronomic theoretical research filled in.The overflowing of regional and professional agricultural pamphlets and books published in Ming & Qing Dynasties saw a shift in the value orientation of producing scholarly works from classical theoretical prittle-pratlle to pragmatic livelihood-enriching utilitarianism.Chapter Three takes as center the publication of geographical and technological books in Ming & Qing Dynasty.Xu Xiake's Travel Notes,which made a remarkable contribution to the study of Karst landforms,represents the greatest achievement in the compilation and publication of geographical books.Due to encouragement from the central government,the compilation and revision of chorography became common practice,with the compilation and publication of evolutional geography reaching its peak.In the meantime,Nature's Engineering & Handicraft Industry by Song Yingxiong,which was the summarization of ancient handicraft industry as well as a mirror of highly developed contemporary handicraft industry,marked a milestone in the compilation and publication of technological books. Since the publication of the book,books of technology have become a major category in books of science and technology.Tracing to the source of Song Yingxing's success,we can find a psychological selfadjustment from frustration in imperial examinations to determinedness in producing scholarly works, which is universally present in many social elites who took up compilation and publication of books of science and technology since mid-Ming Dynasty.The fourth chapter contributes to the sorting-out and publication of ancient books and records of science and tochnology-remarkably represented in such fields as astronomy,calendar,mathematics, geography,medicine,arts and crafts—during Emperor Qianlong and Jiaqing's reigns.Scholars during this period salvages and passed on a great number of ancient books and records of science and technology in danger of scattering and disappearing by means of eliminating the false and retaining the tree,reconstructing the missing,emendating,connotation,and compilation.Being generalist in nature and blessed with extensive knowledge and profound scholarship,they surpassed the classical approach in their value orientation when sorting-out ancient books and records of science and technology,and emphasized textual research and positivism in their approaches to and attitude towards pursuance of studies,all of which contributed to their quality sorting-out and compilation of ancient books and records of science and technology.Moreover,their prudent pursuance of studies and scientific approach played a positive role in redressing empty and shallow style of study at the time.Chapter Five turns to the translating and publication of books of western science and technology during Ming & Qing Dynasties.There appeared two waves of translating and publication of books of western science and technology during this period.The first wave,characterized by the translating and publication of western mathematics and astronomy,coincided with the upsurge of pragmatic thoughts between late Ming Dynasty and early Qing Dynasty,and the leading characters are such Christian missionary as Mattew Ricci and pragmatic scholars represented by Xu Guangqi and Li Zhizao.The outbreak of Opium War in late Qing Dynasty brought about the second wave,chiefly centering on the translating and publication of books in such fields of mathematics,physics,chemistry,astronomy, medicine and biology,with missionaries such as Alexander Wylie and Johann Terrenz(Schreck) and such patriotic intellectuals as Lin Zexu and Li Shanlan.These two waves greatly enriched the substances of science and technology published in Ming & Qing Dynasties,left a profound influence on the development of China's science and technology,and helped change the course of China's history to some extent.