Chinese Explorations and Contributions

Science and Technology in Chinese Civilization Cheng-Yih Chen, ed. World Scientific Publishing Co., Singapore, 1987. 352 pp. £55.70. This beautifully produced book is a collection of edited papers originally prepared for one of two conferences held in the summer of 1985—the 17th International Congress of the History of Science, in Berkeley, and the San Diego Workshop on the History of Science and Technology in Chinese Civilization. The 14 papers, a fair sample of current research, range from early Chinese mathematics to Chinese historical earthquake records and ancient China's transfer of gunpowder and rocket technology to the rest of the world. Though their quality is somewhat uneven, all the papers are written in a very accessible style. Even for those familiar with some of the extraordinary technical accomplishments of early China, the topics and details of these straightforward narratives cannot help but fascinate. And for those wanting to follow up a topic, each essay includes references and a bibliography. Chinese ideograms are printed in the text and index, and there is a host of well-presented charts and illustrations. This collection is testimony to a burgeoning interest in early Chinese science and technology and to the stunning data that are being revealed by China's unrelenting archaeological exploration of its own past. The history of science is a new academic discipline in China, and its popularity is such that much of the research is still done by gifted amateurs, whose training and experience is in one of the scientific disciplines. In some papers, a lack of social scientific or historical training reveals itself in an antiquarian approach to the material; but the book is so consistently arresting that this is easily overlooked. All of the authors are Chinese—some working in the United States, some in Taiwan, and most in China— which gives the collection noteworthy ecumenism. The editor, Cheng-Yth (Joseph) Chen, is a professor of physics at the University of California, San Diego. In addition to his good editing, he provides a short but keen preface that addresses the impossible question of why the Chinese only got "so far" with their science and did not develop "modem science." Chen also contributes two substantial papers—a comparison of early Chinese and Greek thought on the concept of limit, and a tour de force on ancient musical scales. The latter nicely illustrates how ancient texts and recently discovered artifacts can be used together. With the recent discovery of an-other supernova, an especially timely paper is Ze Zong Xi's cogent summary of how historic Chinese astronomical records are applicable to astrophysical problems. An astronomer and director of the Chinese Academy of Sciences History of Science Institute, Xi has set high standards with his research. He shows how Chinese records have enhanced our understanding of stellar evolution, solar activity and the gravitational constant G. Readers may be most intrigued by two sketchy papers on the development of metal technology and. early techniques for lubricating moving mechanical parts. During the last 15 years, archeological finds and sophisticated analyses have revealed advanced iron- and steel-making methods and products starting from the 6th century B.C. These include permanent metal molds for farming tools, metal mechanical gears and bearings, and steel scissors and layered swords made by decarburization and multiple forgings. In the future, this history of science area promises to be the most revealing and challenging to our understanding of antiquity. Schneider is professor of Chinese history at the State University of New York, Buffalo NY 14260. He has recently published Lysenkoism in China (M.E. Sharpe, 1986).

Chinese Explorations and Contributions

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