Chinese Technology in the Seventeenth Century

by Ying-Hsing, Sung; Sun, E-Tu Zen; Sun, Shiou-Chuan; Sun, Shiou-Chuan

• ISBN13: 9780486295930
• ISBN10: 0486295931
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-04-01
• Publisher: Dover Pubns

Summary

This 1637 classic on the history of traditional Chinese technology, profusely illustrated with 152 original woodcuts, covers agriculture, textiles, mining, metallurgy, chemical engineering, boat-building weapons manufacture, and more. Rich in scientific and historical background, its many annotations round out an impressive survey of technological progress.

Table of Contents

Translators' Preface	v	(6)
Author's Preface to the 1637 edition	xi
PART I	3	(132)
Chapter 1, The growing of grains	3	(32)
Chapter 2, Clothing materials	35	(38)
Chapter 3, Dyes	73	(8)
Chapter 4, The preparation of grains	81	(28)
Chapter 5, Salt	109	(15)
Chapter 6, Sugars	124	(11)
PART II	135	(100)
Chapter 7, Ceramics	135	(24)
Chapter 8, Casting	159	(12)
Chapter 9, Boats and carts	171	(18)
Chapter 10, Hammer forging	189	(12)
Chapter 11, Calcination of stones	201	(14)
Chapter 12, Vegetable oils and fats	215	(8)
Chapter 13, Paper	223	(12)
PART III	235	(76)
Chapter 14, The metals	235	(26)
Chapter 15, Weapons	261	(18)
Chapter 16, Vermilion and ink	279	(10)
Chapter 17, Yeasts	289	(6)
Chapter 18, Pearls and gems	295	(16)
Bibliography A (Chinese sources)	311	(10)
Bibliography B (non-Chinese sources)	321	(18)
Glossary	339	(18)
Appendix A (Summary of Chinese dynasties)	357	(3)
Appendix B (The twenty-four Chinese solar terms)	360	(2)
Appendix C (Equivalence of Chinese weights and measures in metric units)	362	(2)
Appendix D (Transmission of certain techniques from China to the West)	364	(5)
Index	369