29 replies to this topic

[Barciad]

Owing to that Ancient China produced many great modern technologies, I was wondering did Ancient China also produce scientists and inventors who could be mentioned in the same way that men like Issac Newton, Archimedes, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Gallileo are talked about in the west.
And more importantly, who are they?

[TMPikachu]

Zhuge Liang? Maybe.


I think there's a trend to attribute inventions to Emperors of that time, well for the really ancient stuff.


So Huangdi, sorta, but he's semi-mythical.

[Barciad]

Zhuge Liang? Maybe.
I think there's a trend to attribute inventions to Emperors of that time, well for the really ancient stuff.
So Huangdi, sorta, but he's semi-mythical.

The thing is, you name these people, and I just stare at you blankly. My knowledge is pretty much close to zero here so any embellishment would be greatly appeciated.

[naruwan]

沈括

[Craig]

Owing to that Ancient China produced many great modern technologies, I was wondering did Ancient China also produce scientists and inventors who could be mentioned in the same way that men like Issac Newton, Archimedes, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Gallileo are talked about in the west.
And more importantly, who are they?

Zhang Tao Ling, who invented the first seismagraph.

[Ed Ziomek]

Zhang Tao Ling, who invented the first seismagraph.

Craig... correct me if I am wrong. Is it Huang Di's temple that remains unopened, because the Chinese government fears it has no way to preserve anything they find inside, given its antiquity?

Is that an urban legend? I heard that there are two Huang Di emperors... one was 2700 BC, the Yellow Emperor, and the other was 300 BC or something, that may have united China.

Anyways, one of them has an earthen pyramid or temple mausoleum, still unopened, but the authorities have a description inside of the numerous things which were put in place to protect the body, such as a "pool of mercury", and man traps, etc. But apparently, the tomb contains a library of knowledge from that emperor's lifetime of achievements and inventions, which were numerous.

Urban legend, or what have you heard?

[fcharton]

Craig... correct me if I am wrong. Is it Huang Di's temple that remains unopened, because the Chinese government fears it has no way to preserve anything they find inside, given its antiquity?

Is that an urban legend? I heard that there are two Huang Di emperors... one was 2700 BC, the Yellow Emperor, and the other was 300 BC or something, that may have united China.

Anyways, one of them has an earthen pyramid or temple mausoleum, still unopened, but the authorities have a description inside of the numerous things which were put in place to protect the body, such as a "pool of mercury", and man traps, etc. But apparently, the tomb contains a library of knowledge from that emperor's lifetime of achievements and inventions, which were numerous.

Urban legend, or what have you heard?

The mausoleum you refer to Qi Shihuangdi's, the first emperor of Qin, who reigned 246-221 BC as king of Qin, and 221-209 as Emperor. The Huangdi in his name, which means emperor, and was used by rulers of subsequent dynasties, is not the same as the Yellow Emperor (Huangdi, too, but with different character huang). The mausoleum can be seen in the suburbs of modern day Xian.

The description of the mausoleum is due to Sima Qian (c.145-c.85 BC), who wrote about the pool of mercury (though other rulers were said to have been buried in similar mausoleums), and quite a few other things, man traps, army of statues, etc...

As far as I know, the location of the tomb of the Yellow Emperor (if he existed, he is a pretty legendary character, Qin Shihuang, on the other hand is as historical as can be) is unknown.

Francois

Edited by fcharton, 10 October 2005 - 05:43 PM.

[Liang Jieming]

Prominent Chinese Scientists in History
(extracted from China the Beautiful)

（1） 張衡 [Zheng Heng] （78-139） ﹕東漢科學家﹐字平子﹐南陽人﹐畫出我國首張星圖﹐創造了渾天儀和地動儀。

（2） 祖沖之（429-500） ﹕南朝宋齊間科學家﹐字文遠﹐范陽道人﹐擅長曆數﹐首次把圓週率準確推算到小數點後六位﹐比歐洲早一千多年﹐製成《大明歷》﹐造出指南車﹐千里船。

（3） 葛洪（284-363） ﹕西晉醫藥學家﹐煉丹術家。字稚川﹐句容人﹔對化學﹑醫學的發展有一定貢獻﹐《抱朴子‧內篇》為現存較早的煉丹術著作﹐《金匱藥方》有對天花等病世界最早的記載。

（4） 一行 [Zheng Sui]（683-727） ﹕唐朝高僧﹐天文學家﹐俗名張遂﹐昌樂人﹐在世界第一次發現恆星位置變動的現象﹐還製成《大衍歷》。

（5） 沈括（1031-1095） ﹕北宋科學家﹐字存中﹐杭州人﹐在天文﹑數學﹑醫藥﹑生物﹑物理學上的成就﹐都極其卓越﹐著作40種。

（6） 黃道婆﹕元初女紡織家﹐松江人﹐引進黎族紡織工具並加以改進﹐對我國古代紡織業的發展作出了重大貢獻。

（7） 郭守敬 [Guo Shoujing] （1231-1316） ﹕元朝天文學家﹑水利家和數學家﹐字若思﹐邢臺人。

（8） 李時珍 [Li Shizhen] （1518-1579）﹕明朝醫學家﹐究搜博採﹐歷三十年﹐三次易稿而成《本草綱目》﹐為國我醫學史上一大巨著。

（9） 徐光啟（1562-1633）﹕時朝科學家﹐字子先﹐無錫人﹐譯著《幾何原本》﹐著《農政全書》﹐是我國近代向西方學習科學的先驅。

（10） 宋應星（1587-﹖）﹕明末科學家﹐字長庚﹐奉新人﹐著《天工開物》﹐為我國古代科技名著。

[jwrevak]

Owing to that Ancient China produced many great modern technologies, I was wondering did Ancient China also produce scientists and inventors who could be mentioned in the same way that men like Issac Newton, Archimedes, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Gallileo are talked about in the west.
And more importantly, who are they?

Chinese scientists and inventors have accomplished much over the millenia. Sometimes their names are known and sometimes they aren't. For the names of some of them you can take a quick look at Chinse Science, Inventions, and Discoveries. You may also wish to search for relevant threads in the archive.

[Craig]

Craig... correct me if I am wrong. Is it Huang Di's temple that remains unopened, because the Chinese government fears it has no way to preserve anything they find inside, given its antiquity?

Is that an urban legend? I heard that there are two Huang Di emperors... one was 2700 BC, the Yellow Emperor, and the other was 300 BC or something, that may have united China.

Anyways, one of them has an earthen pyramid or temple mausoleum, still unopened, but the authorities have a description inside of the numerous things which were put in place to protect the body, such as a "pool of mercury", and man traps, etc. But apparently, the tomb contains a library of knowledge from that emperor's lifetime of achievements and inventions, which were numerous.

Urban legend, or what have you heard?

I seem to recall that tests showed high concentrations of mercury in the area. As for the library containing 'numerous achievements and inventions'; his reign was brief. The object that Sima Qian spoke of, the object that fires up my curiosity... is the map of the known world. What would it show? Lands across the Eastern Sea?

[TMPikachu]

Owing to that Ancient China produced many great modern technologies, I was wondering did Ancient China also produce scientists and inventors who could be mentioned in the same way that men like Issac Newton, Archimedes, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Gallileo are talked about in the west.
And more importantly, who are they?

Modern day Chinese scientists have created the first nanovehicle (practical use nanomachine to carry medicine in bloodstream)

http://www.chinahist...?showtopic=7638

[Barciad]

Chinese scientists and inventors have accomplished much over the millenia. Sometimes their names are known and sometimes they aren't. For the names of some of them you can take a quick look at Chinse Science, Inventions, and Discoveries. You may also wish to search for relevant threads in the archive.

Thanks for that, I am going through them now.

[Craig]

Owing to that Ancient China produced many great modern technologies, I was wondering did Ancient China also produce scientists and inventors who could be mentioned in the same way that men like Issac Newton, Archimedes, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Gallileo are talked about in the west.
And more importantly, who are they?

There was a fellow who was prolific in many fields. Shen Hua drew maps including an Atlas of China (completed in 1087) using a compass and exacting uniform scale. His topographical surveying included measurement of slope which he used in a series of dykes. He studied silt and erosion and, from his observations of the horizontal straiations in cliffs, developed a scientific theory of rock formations and silt dispersal. He brought a observational rationalist view to the feng shui geomancers proto-science of land configuration and siting.
An intensely curious man, Shen Hua studied the Mohist texts on optics and as Hayakama pointed out, he brought a systemic approach to the third century works on shadows, lenses, and burning mirrors.
He was a pioneer in naked eye astronomy and using armillary spheres and fixed sighting tubes, set the calendar with new accuracy.
His knowledge of the earth sciences led him to find sources of petroleum with which he bagan an industry to manufacture solid cakes of carbon ink. He recognized and extolled the economic value of coal for a fuel source.
Shen Hua studies in topography told him that the north was becoming rapidly deforested and saw the ink as a
substitute for the pine resin ink.
His achievements in mathematics, astronomy, cartography, optics, meteorology, hydraulics etc..... are legion.

[ih8eurocentrix]

mohist stated the 3rd law of motion in 500bc long b4 newton did.

[Liang Jieming]

mohist stated the 3rd law of motion in 500bc long b4 newton did.

The mohist were also the first to create the pinhole "camera" showing an inverted image.