Research On The Knowledge Forms Of Weights And Measures In Qing Dynasty

The traditional measures and weights of China have a very early origination,and played an important role in the political management and cultural construction of the unifying state.In different historical periods,a metrical culture with unique characteristics of ritual and music had been formed,which were manifested in many well-designed metrological and weighting apparatuses.Although,with the rise and fall of the states,the apparatuses submerged in uncertainty,the ancient classics never stopped recording the metric system and scales.Descendants attempted to restore the ancient metric system repeatedly,according to ancient artifacts and historical records of the fragments of memory.Of course,they had also created new devices with the times needed.The Qing Dynasty as the last dynasty in China still followed previous periods in the aspect of system and management of the state's weights and measures,which seems no obvious characteristics in the construction of the system of weights and measures.The historians of the measures and weighs made useful summaries of the instruments,measurement standards,system construction and management in the Qing Dynasty.Then,this thesis changes the perspective,and attempts to discuss the state and evolution of metrology knowledge in the Qing Dynasty from the perspective of academic history,which based on the understanding of the academic characteristics of the revival of ancient Chinese literature and the penetration of Western learning in the Qing Dynasty.As the Qing scholars had a lot of work in this field,this paper only makes a preliminary study,sorts out part of the work in the study of musical temperament,the study of Confucian classics and the study of the western learning.We hopes to help clarify the academic history and deepen understanding of the metrology in the Qing Dynasty.The first chapter,first of all,describes a general understanding of the metrology and the overall academic background from the late Ming to the late Qing Dynasty.Then it briefly introduces the western metrology and the development of modern meterage.In this chapter,we focus on the relevant literature of China's Weights and Measures before the Qing Dynasty,and analyze the researches of scholars on the ancient Weights and Measures since the Republic of China.Among them,we mainly discuss the predecessors' research on the measures and weights from the late Ming to the late Qing,and introduce the research status quo of the problems related with the metrology as much as possible,such as the relationship between musical temperament and metrology,folk measures,customs measures,instruments of Qing palace,material proportion,the issue of metrology in translation of science and technology.In a word,this chapter tries to sort out the research results of the metrology beyond the Qing dynasty,so as to lay the foundation for the later study of metrology in Qing Dynasty.The second chapter discusses the study of metrology in musical temperament.First of all,it discusses Qing scholars'understanding of the relationship between music and weights and measures,and finds that the official expression of Kang Xi and later does not intend to go against the Han shu lüli zhi,the point of which is that Huangzhong temperment is the basic and measures just is its application,which is also view of the majority scholars.But there are still some temperment scholars having different views.Jiang Yong initially thought that image-numerology was basic,and measures were criterion,and musical temperament originated from measures.But later he accepted Zhu Zaiyu's statement,and recognized that musical temperament and measures just used each other but didn't produce each other.This chapter also reveals that An Qingqiao'viewpoint have surpassed that of the public,which is an analogy with today's viewpoint that musical temperament and measures are neither originated nor compatible with each other,that musical temperament is merely a mathematical ratio.In this chapter,we also review the researches of Qing scholars from three aspects:length,capacity and weight.In the aspect of study on length,this paper points out the similarities and differences between Kangxi's work and Zhu Zaiyu's work,and reveals that Kangxi ever used western methods in his study on ancient scales.For the first time,Jiang Yong's work on ancient rulers is pointed out,which is that Jiang Yong insisted on the standard of length out of human bodies,using mercury to calibrate capacity and improve the computation.For the first time,we point out that Kong Shangren and scholars groups later in the Qing Dynasty were fascinated with the Jianchu copper ruler and their researches on that ruler.Qiantang'work is also revealed in the chapter.He used various methods comprehensively and results of predecessors,and recognized the difference between the Han ruler and Zhou ruler.The length of Han ruler studied by Qiantang is same with today's result.We think that Qiantang reached the highest achievement in study on ancient rulers in the Qing Dynasty.In aspect of study on capacity,this chapter reviews and re-interprets Jiang Yong,Dai Zhen,Qiantang,Xu Yangyuan,Cheng Guan,Zou Boqi's work on Li's capacity apparatus(???)of Kao Gong Ji,and puts forward different perspectives with predecessors,and find Cheng Guan tried to explain differences between volume of unhusked grain hu(??),husked grain hu(??)and soy beans hu(??)in Chapter Nine.This chapter also reviews Qiantang'work on volume of ancient capacity apparatus comprehensively,and considers his study on Han hu was behind closed doors.But he researched on Sui shu lüli zhi and other history books,traced the origin and corrected errors in history books.This chapter also investigats volume conversion tables between Zhou or Han and Qing Dynasty by Kong Jihan.In the aspect of rearch on weights,we review the ancient and modern weight values studied by Jiang Yong,Qiantang and Kong Jihan.It is pointed out that the Qing scholars used experiment methods,such as determining weight value relied on millets,coins,and grains,but their methods were indirect,which have a great gap with today'method based on unearthed ancient weights.In the third chapter,we choose three texts of length,capacity and weight in Xiao ya as a window to investigate the problems of the weights and measures in the study of Confucian classics in the Qing Dynasty.Firstly,we introduce the version and the style of Xiao ya,and the situation of the Qing scholars' annotations.Then,we discuss Mo Shi,Wang Xu,Hu Chenggong,Hu Shiqi,Ge Qiren and Song Xiangfeng's interpretation of the three texts,based on Dai Zhen's view that Xiao ya was a fake book.We find that Wang Xu and Hu Shiqi,Hu Chenggong's interpretation is the most comprehensive,and they maintained Xiao ya the most powerfully.This chapter also introduces the lives of scholars and their writings,meanwhile,discusses their methods,and reveals that Hu Shiqi' book made reference to Hu Chenggong's work.In addition,we analyse correspondences between Hu Shiqi,Hong Liangji and Duan Yucai around Hu Shiqi's Xiao er ya yi shu.In this chapter,we also make a statistical analysis of the documents quoted in these note annotations of three texts in Xiao ya.It is found that there are most documents of the Confucian classic,in which documents of Sanli are the most.we also discuss specially the situation of quoting Kao gong ji,Han shu lü li zhi,Shuowen,Chunqiu.It is pointed out that while scholars in Qing annotated the three texts of Xiao ya,they mainly used Confucion documents for service of reading classics and reading ceremonies.It can also be considered that the measures and weights in the eyes of the Qing Dynasty's scholars exists in the classics and rituals,which is the state of the knowledge.At the same time,this chapter discusses the reason and value of annotating Xiao ya in Qing Dynasty.It thinks that the reason of annotation is to promote status of Xiao ya with the trend of textology in Qing Dynasty.We also find that the three texts of Xiao ya is not treated differently by scholars,but that study based on exegetical studies on the name and description of things.As for its value,the annotation is still the wing of the classics,and the potential goal is to seek the ancient ceremony to rule the real world.In the end,it introduces the work of adding the three texts of Xiao ya by the late Qing scholar Zou Boqi.We classifies the contents and examines the contents one by one.We thinks that Zou Boqi is different from previous scholars.He differentiated the knowledge of measures and weights in Confucion classics.There is an objective sense of measurement standards,and the formation of a cognitive system in his mind.The fourth chapter discusses the research status of the scholars under the influence of Western Learning in the period of Westernization Movement,of constitutional reform in Wuxu and after Gengzi Incident.First of all,we discusses that Feng Guifen wrote Jiao bin lu kang yi in order to supporting the restructuring and proposed unifying weights and measures in his book.But he encountered obstacles and could't unify measures in the field measurement.In the later,Feng Guifen compromised and adopted two sets of new and old methods according to official documents,achieving relative unity.We also analysis of endorsement opinions of court officials on Feng Guifen' book in 1898 Reform,and reveals that the officials' views had great differences between 1898 Reform and after Geng Zi Incident.Then we studied Ye Zaiyang 's book DU Liang Heng Xin Yi.This chapter combs and researches on the Ye Zaiyang ' work,analyses of the mathematical principles of new system detailedly,finds the shortcomings of the lack of actual effectiveness.The paper also discusses the impacts on the reform of weights and measures in the late Qing Dynasty,points out that the Standardized Chart and Regulation of weights and measures promulgated in 1908 by Qing Goverment directly referred to Ye Zaiyang 'book,and speculats that Ye Zaiyang may be involved in drafting Standardized Chart and Regulation.Finally,we focuses on several tables of weights and measures in the late Qing Dynasty,and compares French weights and measures with Chinese official those in this period.This chapter mainly describes features of translation of foreign measures in the late Qing Dynasty,makes a detailed account of the source of the data,thus reveals the chaos of the system of weighing,the necessity of measuring tables and its trend of gradually unifying.Meanwhile,we discusses the use of the tables and the spread of the tables,and considers that the use of tables in the late Qing Dynasty made ready for the use of metric system in the Republic of China.The last chapter summarizes the work of the three chapters before,and puts forward and discusses some problems in the academic research of metrology in the Qing Dynasty,such as the academic interests of Qing scholars,the situation of being of knowledge of weights and measures,the evolution of that situation,the knowledge sharing and exchange between scholars,the research methods and results of Qing scholars,and the influence of official scholarship to folk scholars.Finally,the chapter analyzes the shortcomings of this article,and points out the direction of further research and the contents to be deepened and expanded.This article is only a preliminary study of the metrology scholarship in the Qing Dynasty.There is still a lot of work to engage in.we consider that this work will be useful to understand the overall pictures of the Qing Dynasty academic.