A Research On The Knowledge Communication Of The Western Optics In China (From 1853 To 1902)

Under the guidance of Corpuscular Theory,the Western Optics had established a relatively complete knowledge system before the 19^th century.Thereafter,the renaissance and develpment of Undulatory Theory has advanced the study of the Western Optics to a higher new level than before.Gradually,the study of Western Optics had stepped forward from Geometrical Optics to Undulatory Optics.After centuries of development,Optics has grown up to be an important branch of western science with great progress and achievement both in theory and practice.With the increase of cultural exchange between the East and the West,the Western Optics disseminated into China during the periods of Late Ming and early Qing Dynasty.After the First Opium War?Britain?s invasion of China,1840¹842?,a large number of western works kept pouring into China and the knowledge of western Optics therein was communicated into China.Based on the methodology of literature review and case study,this paper focuses the research on the works of the Western Optics which has disseminated into China from 1853 to 1902,such as books of popular science,newspapers,monographs and textbooks and etc.with the purpose of the disclosure of the trajectory of historical communication of the Western Optics as well as the influences thereafter from the perspectives both in External History and Internal History.Grounded on the previous studies,this paper is carried out from the following three aspects.Firstly,a comprehensive analysis is implemented to the communication of the Western Optics during this historical period mentioned above.Secondly,an in-depth research is conducted not only from the theoretical knowledge perspective but also the practical technology of the Western Optics.Thirdly,from the research perspective of the history of Optics in China,the investigation into the attitudes and feedbacks of intellectuals in late Qing Dynasty towards the knowledge of the Western Optics is carried out for the first time among the academia,which is initiatively significant to the future researches of the history of Optics as well as the history of the communication of science in China.The subject of this paper“How was the Western Optics communicated in China?”is dissected into four sub-questions,namely,four dimensions:?1?Historical condition for the communication of the Western Optics in China.?2?The main approaches and forms of the communication of the Western Optics in China.?3?Main content of the communication of the Western Optics in China.?4?The influences of the communication of the Western Optics in China.Throughout the investigation into the communication of the Western Optics in China,the following three conclusions are drawn out:Firstly,the historical characteristics of the communication.This historical period can be separated into four stages.The first stage is named as“touching”.From the Opium War to 1853,owing to the establishment of The London Missionary Society Press,the“dissecteor”Joseph and the“receiver”Zhang Fuxi worked in joint hands for the translation of Traite de la Lumiere,which marked the first full touch of the Western Optics of Chinese intellectuals.The second stage is named as“popularizing”.A great deal of the Western Optics was communicated and widely popularized in China,which was benefited by some Chinese books and newspapers such as Medical Vocabulary,Introduction to Nature,The Peking Magazine,etc.The third stage is named as“deepening”.The Optics translated as the representative of the optical category writings were introduced into China in 1876,and among which there were Telescope Illustration and Microscope on behalf of the optical writings,written by John Fryer to introduce technical knowledge in practice.The fourth stage is named as“standardizing”.This stage is marked by the publish of the representative textbooks such as The Physics and Physics and Easy Solution:on the one hand,“Optics”was incorporated into the“Physics”category;on the other hand,“The Western Optics”started normal and standard communication.Secondly,the leading factors of the spreading.The first factor is the“Translation Bureau”.In the late fifty years of the 19^th century,China had established a modern publishing mechanism,such as A Sea of Ink Library in Shanghai,Kiangnan Translation House and so on;the second factor is the“Translators”.To spread the Western Optics requires the joint efforts of“disseminators”and“receivers”,that is missionaries or foreigners mastering the Western Optics knowledge,and traditional Chinese intellectuals with some knowledge of the traditional Chinese learning.Both translate in the way of“Interpreted by Westerners and Translation by Chinese”;the third factor is“Translations”.The translators needed to choose the Western Optics works as a communication vehicle which as acceptable,qualified and easy to disseminate,such as the Optics and so on.These three leading factors have laid a solid foundation for the communication of the Western Optics in China.Finally,the history results of communication.Firstly,the cognitive perspective of“light”.The communication of the Western Optics in China enhanced the cognitive level of the Chinese people to“light”,achieving the purpose of“disenchantment”,and providing a new explanation of optical phenomena such as“mirage”and“rainbow”.Chinese people began to understand the principles in application of the scientific theory by technology with practical technical knowledge and the correct way to use a microscope and a telescope;secondly,the perspective of the Optics disciplines.The cognition of Chinese people on“light”changed from being based on natural knowledge originally to the establishment of the concept of“Optics”discipline,then later to classifying the“Optics”into the category of“Physics”concept;thirdly,the perspective of scientific propagation.Chinese people gradually came out from“view of nature”based on ancient common sense,and turned into“view nature”in a scientific way.In view of the Optics,this period in history is a process from“knowing”to“understanding”.In view of human?s cognition of nature,it is also a course from the“coverage”to“light”.