Historical Reseach On Time Metrology In China (From The 16^th Century A.D.to 1949)

Time measurement is the most universal one in all kinds of measurements,which makes influences far and wide on modern people’s work and livelihood.Time metrology in modern and pre-modern periods had been in the van of human modernization.It is meaningful to study modern history of time metrology.By using metrological theory,this dissertation completely depicts modern development course of time metrology in China and makes thorough research on relative issues,with collation and analysis to hundreds of historical materials in different categories such as ancient books,archives and periodical press before 1949.This research tries to focus on some problems that are significant but neglected.So this paper pays attention to relationships among time metrology,social factors and physiological factors,and also concerns about clock’s function of displaying and transmitting information,and also notices grassroots situation in the dissemination system of quantity in time measurement.This dissertation discloses reasons and results of several crucial events in modern history of time metrology in China.With refinement and induction from a great amount of precedent achievements,Chapter 1 inquiries and compares all sectors and their modern continuation of Chinese traditional time metrology.Based on previous study about production and spread of mechanical clocks in Ming and Qing periods,Chapter 2 firstly investigates when they were introduced to China and how they popularized.Afterwards special attention is paid to the usage of clocks in Ming and Qing periods.Mistaken views break down who thought“self-ringing bells”was only occasionally used as timepieces.This chapter also points out that clocks’popularization is due to the purpose to promote collective efficiency by unifying time quantities with automatic timepieces.After analyzing and proclaiming the important status of time transmission in modern history,Chapter 3 narrates the journey of new kinds of time transmission in China and makes some discussion about their connection with political factors.Standard time and daylight saving time still have current significances.Chapter 4 completely investigates their implements in China before the foundation of PRC and inquiries their causes and effects too.Chapter 3 and Chapter 4 fill in a gap existed in the fields.Chapter 5mainly focuses on national standards of time measurement in China.In1930s,time measurement in the National Research Institute of Astronomy,Academia Sinica was not smoothly operated.It led to the failure to found an independent national measuring system of time before Liberation.Utilizing letters,archives,reports and memoirs,Chapter 5 firstly analyses former divergence of views,and then gradually examines various reasons in this affair from inside to outside.The leaders of Academia Sinica,Cai Yuanpei(蔡元培)and Yang Quan(杨铨)should also accept responsibility for the failure.The dictatorship in personnel administration in Academia Sinica was institutional factor in the affair.With induction and comparison,the dissertation clarifies three central clues of time metrology in modern China.Primary one is the westernization of Chinese time metrology.Related factors could be divided into four categories:commodity circulation,diffusion of knowledge,direct action by foreign powers and intentional imitation by native authority.The other two clues reveal inherent development logic of time metrology in modern period.Both of them are mainly about revolution of time scale for the innovation of time transmission.Mean solar time arose as a result of emerging urban time transmission and clocks’popularization.Competing with mean solar time,apparent solar time which corresponds to sundial declined and fell.Meanwhile,floating time unit system such as Wu-Geng-Zhi(五更制)became feeble and died too.Standard time was born with the innovation of long-range time transmission in 19th century.Daylight saving time was a subsequent outcome.It is the second internal clue.The execution of standard time requires national time standard.Furthermore,the revolution of long-range time transmission also made it possible to determinate accurate geography longitude.Relating activities also demand primary time standard.Each of technological clues reveals a tendency of modernization.The first tendency is the displacement from artificial substance to natural substance.The other is the assimilation from localities to central authorities.Under complex functions of the three clues,dissemination system of quantity in time measurement with clocks progressively grew after its original appearance,from families to cities,then to regions,and finally a national measuring system of time formed.