Through collecting as fully as possible Chinese documents from the Ming and Qing period to modern times, consulting original works of the West and the discussions by persons still alive, as well as the original instru...Through collecting as fully as possible Chinese documents from the Ming and Qing period to modern times, consulting original works of the West and the discussions by persons still alive, as well as the original instruments preserved by European observatories and museums, and probing deeply into the astronomical knowledge and technology of Europe spread into China during the 17th and 18th centuries and their historical position as well as their impact on the development of surveying celestial bodies, the author of The Europeanization of Astronomical Instruments in the Ming and Qing China extends the study of Ming and Qing China’s astronomy from natural science and the divination for configurations of the stars to a path that has not yet been attached to with importance, namely, the domain of technology. This book looks back on the course of development of ancient European and Chinese instruments, describes and analyses in a comprehensive fashion the instruments made by the Jesuits Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Ferdinand Verbiest and Ignace K o ¨gler for the Beijing Observatory, covering the design, manufacturing technology, installation, use, techinical performance and precision of these instruments and being attached to with lots of illustrations, thus presenting a general picture of the Europeanization of Chinese astronomical instruments. The attitude of the author towards the work done by the Jesuit missionaries is fair and reasonable, and his appraisal for them is also just. A new book with original ideas is bound to have some problems that remain to be discussed. As to the missing parts of the instruments of Beijing Observatory, documentary clues might be found upon further investigation. It is probably not right to decide that the naked eye is capable of distinguishing down to the second according to the data of star catalogues and the readings of instruments. As regards the maker and the time of making for the five instruments that had been in use before Ferdinand Verbiest manufactured his instruments, the inferences of the author also seem to be rather doubtful,because these instruments might be "models"made by Ferdinand Verbiest. Besides, there are also errors or places worth discussing about the portrait of Xu Guang qi chosen by the author, the wording, the stamping of characters and the translated names for Western astronomers. In short, this book sets a precedent for inquiring into Ming and Qing astronomical surveying installations from the technological point of view.It is comprehensive in its discussion with distinctive qualities and a satisfactory conclusion, so that it might be rated as extremely valuable for looking into the history of Chinese astronomy and the history of cultural exchange between China and the West.展开更多
文摘Through collecting as fully as possible Chinese documents from the Ming and Qing period to modern times, consulting original works of the West and the discussions by persons still alive, as well as the original instruments preserved by European observatories and museums, and probing deeply into the astronomical knowledge and technology of Europe spread into China during the 17th and 18th centuries and their historical position as well as their impact on the development of surveying celestial bodies, the author of The Europeanization of Astronomical Instruments in the Ming and Qing China extends the study of Ming and Qing China’s astronomy from natural science and the divination for configurations of the stars to a path that has not yet been attached to with importance, namely, the domain of technology. This book looks back on the course of development of ancient European and Chinese instruments, describes and analyses in a comprehensive fashion the instruments made by the Jesuits Johann Adam Schall von Bell, Ferdinand Verbiest and Ignace K o ¨gler for the Beijing Observatory, covering the design, manufacturing technology, installation, use, techinical performance and precision of these instruments and being attached to with lots of illustrations, thus presenting a general picture of the Europeanization of Chinese astronomical instruments. The attitude of the author towards the work done by the Jesuit missionaries is fair and reasonable, and his appraisal for them is also just. A new book with original ideas is bound to have some problems that remain to be discussed. As to the missing parts of the instruments of Beijing Observatory, documentary clues might be found upon further investigation. It is probably not right to decide that the naked eye is capable of distinguishing down to the second according to the data of star catalogues and the readings of instruments. As regards the maker and the time of making for the five instruments that had been in use before Ferdinand Verbiest manufactured his instruments, the inferences of the author also seem to be rather doubtful,because these instruments might be "models"made by Ferdinand Verbiest. Besides, there are also errors or places worth discussing about the portrait of Xu Guang qi chosen by the author, the wording, the stamping of characters and the translated names for Western astronomers. In short, this book sets a precedent for inquiring into Ming and Qing astronomical surveying installations from the technological point of view.It is comprehensive in its discussion with distinctive qualities and a satisfactory conclusion, so that it might be rated as extremely valuable for looking into the history of Chinese astronomy and the history of cultural exchange between China and the West.
