Biography of Shen Kuo 沈括

Biography of Shen Kuo 沈括
Author :
Publisher : DeepLogic
Total Pages : 30
Release :
ISBN-10 :
ISBN-13 :
Rating : 4/5 ( Downloads)

Synopsis Biography of Shen Kuo 沈括 by : Ji Lu

Shen Kuo (Chinese: 沈括; 1031–1095) , courtesy name Cunzhong (存中) and pseudonym Mengqi (now usually given as Mengxi) Weng (夢溪翁),[1] was a Han Chinese polymathic scientist and statesman of the Song dynasty (960–1279). Excelling in many fields of study and statecraft, he was a mathematician, astronomer, meteorologist, geologist, zoologist, botanist, pharmacologist, agronomist, archaeologist, ethnographer, cartographer, encyclopedist, general, diplomat, hydraulic engineer, inventor, academy chancellor, finance minister, governmental state inspector, poet, and musician. He was the head official for the Bureau of Astronomy in the Song court, as well as an Assistant Minister of Imperial Hospitality.[2] At court his political allegiance was to the Reformist faction known as the New Policies Group, headed by Chancellor Wang Anshi (1021–1085). In his Dream Pool Essays or Dream Torrent Essays (夢溪筆談; Mengxi Bitan) of 1088, Shen was the first to describe the magnetic needle compass, which would be used for navigation (first described in Europe by Alexander Neckam in 1187).Shen discovered the concept of true north in terms of magnetic declination towards the north pole, with experimentation of suspended magnetic needles and "the improved meridian determined by Shen's [astronomical] measurement of the distance between the pole star and true north".[6] This was the decisive step in human history to make compasses more useful for navigation, and may have been a concept unknown in Europe for another four hundred years (evidence of German sundials made circa 1450 show markings similar to Chinese geomancer compasses in regard to declination).

Brush Talks from Dream Brook

Brush Talks from Dream Brook
Author :
Publisher : Paths International Limited
Total Pages : 0
Release :
ISBN-10 : 1844641732
ISBN-13 : 9781844641734
Rating : 4/5 (32 Downloads)

Synopsis Brush Talks from Dream Brook by : Kuo Shen

This is the first complete English language version of Shen Kuo's seminal Brush Talks From Dream Brook published outside of China. Highly valued by scholars for its scientific and technological coverage, this encyclopaedic book is probably the most important source text for technological advances and the organization of knowledge in China's golden age, the Song dynasty (960-1279). Author Shen Kuo is the most famous writer in China's scientific history. The significance of Brush Talks From Dream Brook been thoroughly researched by scholars such as Fu Daiwie but it has not yet gained the recognition it deserves in Western studies on the history of science and technology. Written between 1086 and 1093 in note style, it covers astronomy, mathematics, geography, physics, biology, medicine, military, literary, history, archaeology and music. Now translated into English and available outside of China for the very first time, it's rightly recognised as a masterpiece in the history of Chinese scientific and technological development.

A History of Chinese Science and Technology

A History of Chinese Science and Technology
Author :
Publisher : Springer
Total Pages : 503
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9783662442579
ISBN-13 : 3662442574
Rating : 4/5 (79 Downloads)

Synopsis A History of Chinese Science and Technology by : Yongxiang Lu

A History of Chinese Science and Technology (Volumes 1, 2 & 3) presents 44 individual lectures, beginning with Ancient Chinese Science and Technology in the Process of Human Civilizations and an Overview of Chinese Science and Technology, and continuing with in-depth discussions of several issues in the History of Science and the Needham Puzzle, interspersed with topics on Astronomy, Arithmetic, Agriculture and Medicine, The Four Great Inventions, and various technological areas closely related to clothing, food, shelter and transportation. This book is the most authoritative work on the history of Chinese Science and Technology. It is the Winner of the China Book Award, the Shanghai Book Award (1st prize), and the Classical China International Publishing Project (GAPP, General Administration of Press and Publication of China) and offers an essential resource for academic researchers and non-experts alike. It originated with a series of 44 lectures presented to top Chinese leaders, which received very positive feedback. Written by top Chinese scholars in their respective fields from the Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and many other respected Chinese organizations, the book is intended for scientists, researchers and postgraduate students working in the history of science, philosophy of science and technology, and related disciplines. Yongxiang Lu is a professor, former president and member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), and Vice Chairman of the National Congress of China.

Shen Gua's Empiricism

Shen Gua's Empiricism
Author :
Publisher : BRILL
Total Pages : 352
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781684170975
ISBN-13 : 1684170974
Rating : 4/5 (75 Downloads)

Synopsis Shen Gua's Empiricism by : Ya Zuo

"Shen Gua (1031–1095) is a household name in China, known as a distinguished renaissance man and the author of Brush Talks from Dream Brook, an old text whose remarkable “scientific” discoveries make it appear curiously ahead of its time. In this first book-length study of Shen in English, Ya Zuo reveals the connection between Shen’s life as an active statesman and his ideas, specifically the empirical stance manifested through his wide-ranging inquiries. She places Shen on the broad horizon of premodern Chinese thought, and presents his empiricism within an extensive narrative of Chinese epistemology. Relying on Shen as a searchlight, Zuo focuses in on how an individual thinker summoned conditions and concepts from the vast Chinese intellectual tradition to build a singular way of knowing. Moreover, her study of Shen provides insights into the complex dynamics in play at the dawn of the age of Neo-Confucianism and compels readers to achieve a deeper appreciation of the diversity in Chinese thinking."

Collected Works of H. S. Tsien (1938-1956)

Collected Works of H. S. Tsien (1938-1956)
Author :
Publisher : Academic Press
Total Pages : 905
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780123982742
ISBN-13 : 012398274X
Rating : 4/5 (42 Downloads)

Synopsis Collected Works of H. S. Tsien (1938-1956) by : Tsien H S

Dr. H. S. Tsien (also known as Dr. Qian Xuesen), is celebrated as the leader of the research that produced China's first ballistic missiles, its first satellite, and the Silkworm anti-ship missile. This volume collects the scientific works of Dr. H. S. Tsien (also known as Dr. Qian Xuesen) and his co-authors, which published between 1938—1956 when he was studying and working in the United States as a graduate student, scientist and professor, when aeronautic exploration stepped up from low speed to high speed regimes and astronautic technology entered its infant stage. - The author is one of the most significant Chinese scientists in the past 70 years - Focuses on a series of key problems in aerodynamics, stability of shells, rocket ballistics and engine analyses - Collects Tsien's work as author and co-author from his time working in the US

Chasing the Chinese Dream

Chasing the Chinese Dream
Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
Total Pages : 224
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9789811606540
ISBN-13 : 9811606544
Rating : 4/5 (40 Downloads)

Synopsis Chasing the Chinese Dream by : William N. Brown

This open access book explores the historical, cultural and philosophical contexts that have made anti-poverty the core of Chinese society since Liberation in 1949, and why poverty alleviation measures evolved from the simplistic aid of the 1950s to Xi Jinping’s precision poverty alleviation and its goal of eliminating absolute poverty by 2020. The book also addresses the implications of China’s experience for other developing nations tackling not only poverty but such issues as pandemics, rampant urbanization and desertification exacerbated by global warming. The first of three parts draws upon interviews of rural and urban Chinese from diverse backgrounds and local and national leaders. These interviews, conducted in even the remotest areas of the country, offer candid insights into the challenges that have forced China to continually evolve its programs to resolve even the most intractable cases of poverty. The second part explores the historic, cultural and philosophical roots of old China’s meritocratic government and how its ancient Chinese ethics have led to modern Chinese socialism’s stance that “poverty amidst plenty is immoral”. Dr. Huang Chengwei, one of China’s foremost anti-poverty experts, explains the challenges faced at each stage as China’s anti-poverty measures evolved over 70 years to emphasize “enablement” over “aid” and to foster bottom-up initiative and entrepreneurialism, culminating in Xi Jinping’s precision poverty alleviation. The book also addresses why national economic development alone cannot reduce poverty; poverty alleviation programs must be people-centered, with measurable and accountable practices that reach even to household level, which China has done with its “First Secretary” program. The third part explores the potential for adopting China’s practices in other nations, including the potential for replicating China’s successes in developing countries through such measures as the Belt and Road Initiative. This book also addresses prevalent misperceptions about China’s growing global presence and why other developing nations must address historic, systemic causes of poverty and inequity before they can undertake sustainable poverty alleviation measures of their own.

The Intellectual Devotional Biographies

The Intellectual Devotional Biographies
Author :
Publisher : Rodale
Total Pages : 387
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781605299501
ISBN-13 : 1605299502
Rating : 4/5 (01 Downloads)

Synopsis The Intellectual Devotional Biographies by : David S. Kidder

Presents a year's worth of profiles on many of the world's most celebrated personalities, from leaders and artists to philosophers and villains, to assess how each of them played significant historical roles.

A History of Chinese Mathematics

A History of Chinese Mathematics
Author :
Publisher : Springer
Total Pages : 491
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9783540337836
ISBN-13 : 3540337830
Rating : 4/5 (36 Downloads)

Synopsis A History of Chinese Mathematics by : Jean-Claude Martzloff

This book is made up of two parts, the first devoted to general, historical and cultural background, and the second to the development of each subdiscipline that together comprise Chinese mathematics. The book is uniquely accessible, both as a topical reference work, and also as an overview that can be read and reread at many levels of sophistication by both sinologists and mathematicians alike.

Performing Filial Piety in Northern Song China

Performing Filial Piety in Northern Song China
Author :
Publisher : University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages : 241
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780824884406
ISBN-13 : 082488440X
Rating : 4/5 (06 Downloads)

Synopsis Performing Filial Piety in Northern Song China by : Cong Ellen Zhang

Educated men in Song-dynasty China (960–1279) traveled frequently in search of scholarly and bureaucratic success. These extensive periods of physical mobility took them away from their families, homes, and native places for long periods of time, preventing them from fulfilling their most sacred domestic duty: filial piety to their parents. In this deeply grounded work, Cong Ellen Zhang locates the tension between worldly ambition and family duty at the heart of elite social and cultural life. Drawing on more than two thousand funerary biographies and other official and private writing, Zhang argues that the predicament in which Song literati found themselves diminished neither the importance of filial piety nor the appeal of participating in examinations and government service. On the contrary, the Northern Song witnessed unprecedented literati activity and state involvement in the bolstering of ancient forms of filial performances and the promotion of new ones. The result was the triumph of a new filial ideal: luyang. By labeling highly coveted honors and privileges attainable solely through scholarly and official accomplishments as the most celebrated filial acts, the luyang rhetoric elevated office-holding men to be the most filial of sons. Consequently, the proper performance of filiality became essential to scholar-official identity and self-representation. Zhang convincingly demonstrates that this reconfiguration of elite male filiality transformed filial piety into a status- and gender-based virtue, a change that had wide implications for elite family life and relationships in the Northern Song. The separation of elite men from their parents and homes also made the idea of “native place” increasingly fluid. This development in turn generated an interest in family preservation as filial performance. Individually initiated, kinship- and native place-based projects flourished and coalesced with the moral and cultural visions of leading scholar-intellectuals, providing the social and familial foundations for the ascendancy of Neo-Confucianism as well as new cultural norms that transformed Chinese society in the Song and beyond.

The Sian Incident

The Sian Incident
Author :
Publisher : University of Michigan Press
Total Pages : 305
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9780892640263
ISBN-13 : 089264026X
Rating : 4/5 (63 Downloads)

Synopsis The Sian Incident by : Tien-wei Wu

When Chiang Kai-shek arrived at Sian in the fall of 1936 and laid plans for launching his last campaign against the Red Army with an expectation of exterminating it in a month, he badly misjudged the mood of the Tungpei (Northeast) Army and more so its leader, Chang Hsueh-liang, better known as the Young Marshal. Refusing to fight the Communists, Chang with the loyal support of his officers staged a coup d’état by kidnapping Chiang Kai-shek for two weeks at Sian. Almost forty years after the melodrama was over, the Sian Incident still absorbs much attention from both Chinese and Western scholars as well as the reading public. The Sian Incident attempts to bring together whatever information has been thus far gleaned about the subject, and to cover all aspects and controversies involved in it. [1, xi, xii]