The Genius of China

by Temple, Robert

• ISBN13: 9781594772177
• ISBN10: 1594772177
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-11-01
• Publisher: Inner Traditions

Summary

Revised, full-color illustrated edition of the multi-award-winning, international bestseller that charts the unparalleled and astounding achievement of ancient China

• Brings to life one hundred Chinese “firsts” in the fields of agriculture, astronomy, engineering, mathematics, medicine, music, technology, and warfare

• Based on the definitive work of the world’s most famous Sinologist, Joseph Needham (1900-1995), author of Science and Civilisation in China

• Organized by field, invention, and discovery for ease of reference

Undisputed masters of invention and discovery for 3,000 years, the ancient Chinese were the first to discover the solar wind and the circulation of the blood and even to isolate sex hormones. From the suspension bridge and the seismograph to deep drilling for natural gas, the iron plough, and the parachute, ancient China’s contributions in the fields of engineering, medicine, technology, mathematics, science, transportation, warfare, and music helped inspire the European agricultural and industrial revolutions.

Since its original publication, The Genius of China has won five literary awards in America and been translated into 43 languages. Its Chinese edition, The Spirit of Chinese Invention, was approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education for use in connection with the national secondary curriculum in China. Based on the immense, authoritative scholarship of the late Joseph Needham, the world’s foremost scholar of Chinese science, and including a foreword by him, this revised full-color illustrated edition brings to life the spirit and excitement of the unparalleled achievements of ancient China.

Author Biography

Robert Temple is a visiting professor of the history and philosophy of science at Tsinghua University in Beijing. He also is a fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society; member of the Egypt Exploration Society, Royal Historical Society, Institute of Classical Studies, and the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies; and visiting research fellow of the University of the Aegean in Greece. He is the author of 10 books, including The Sirius Mystery and Oracles of the Dead, and lives in England with his wife, Olivia.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. 7
Foreword	p. 8
The West's debt to China	p. 11
Agriculture
Row cultivation and intensive hoeing	p. 14
The iron plough	p. 16
Efficient horse harnesses	p. 20
The rotary winnowing fan	p. 24
The multi-tube ('modern') seed drill	p. 25
Astronomy and Cartography
Recognition of sunspots as solar phenomena	p. 28
Quantitative cartography	p. 30
Discovery of the solar wind	p. 34
The Mercator map-projection	p. 36
Equatorial astronomical instruments	p. 37
Engineering
Spouting bowls and standing waves	p. 42
Cast iron	p. 44
The double-acting piston bellows	p. 46
The crank handle	p. 49
The 'Cardan suspension'; or gimbals	p. 50
Manufacture of steel from cast iron	p. 53
Deep drilling for natural gas	p. 56
The belt-drive (or driving-belt)	p. 59
Water power	p. 62
The chain pump	p. 63
The suspension bridge	p. 64
The first cybernetic machine	p. 70
Essentials of the steam engine	p. 72
'Magic minors'	p. 74
The 'Siemens' steel process	p. 76
The segmental arch bridge	p. 77
The chain-drive	p. 81
Underwater salvage operations	p. 82
Domestic and Industrial Technology
Lacquer: the first plastic	p. 84
Strong beer (sake)	p. 87
Petroleum and natural gas as fuel	p. 89
Paper	p. 92
The wheelbarrow	p. 95
Sliding callipers	p. 97
The magic lantern	p. 98
The fishing reel	p. 100
The stirrup	p. 101
Porcelain	p. 103
Biology pest control	p. 107
The umbrella	p. 108
Matches	p. 110
Chess	p. 111
Brandy and whisky	p. 113
The mechanical clock	p. 116
Printing	p. 123
Playing-cards	p. 130
Paper money	p. 131
'Permanent' lamps	p. 134
The spinning-wheel	p. 134
Medicine and Health
Circulation of the blood	p. 136
Circadian rhythms in the human body	p. 139
The science of endocrinology	p. 141
Deficiency diseases	p. 145
Diabetes	p. 146
Use of thyroid hormone	p. 147
Immunology	p. 149
Mathematics
The decimal system	p. 152
A place for zero	p. 154
Negative numbers	p. 155
Extraction of higher roots and solutions of higher numerical equations	p. 156
Decimal fractions	p. 156
Using algebra in geometry	p. 158
A refined value of pi	p. 159
'Pascal's' triangle	p. 160
Magnetism
The first compasses	p. 162
Dial and pointer devices	p. 166
Magnetic declination of the Earth's magnetic field	p. 168
Magnetic remanence and induction	p. 169
The Physical Sciences
Geo-botanical prospecting	p. 172
The First Law of Motion	p. 175
The hexagonal structure of snowflakes	p. 175
The seismograph	p. 177
Spontaneous combustion	p. 181
'Modern' geology	p. 182
Phosphorescent paint	p. 186
Transportation and Exploration
The kite	p. 188
Manned flight with kites	p. 191
The first relief maps	p. 195
The first contour transport canal	p. 197
The parachute	p. 199
Miniature hot-air balloons	p. 201
The rudder	p. 204
Masts and sailing	p. 205
Watertight compartments in ships	p. 211
The helicopter rotor and the propeller	p. 212
The paddle-wheel boat	p. 213
Land sailing	p. 216
The canal pound-lock	p. 218
Sound and Music
The large tuned bell	p. 220
Tuned drums	p. 223
Hermetically sealed research laboratories	p. 228
The first understanding of musical timbre	p. 231
Equal temperament in music	p. 234
Warfare
Chemical warfare, poison gas, smoke bombs and tear gas	p. 240
The crossbow	p. 244
Gunpowder	p. 250
The flame-thrower	p. 254
Flares, fireworks, bombs, grenades land mines and sea mines	p. 256
The rocket, and multi-staged rockets	p. 262
Guns, cannons, mortars and repeating guns	p. 266
Chinese dynasties	p. 275
General map of China	p. 276
Charts showing time lags between Chinese inventions and discoveries and their adoption or recognition by the West	p. 278
Index	p. 282
Author's acknowledgements	p. 286
Picture credits	p. 288
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.