Ancient Chinese science and technology has an important historical position in the history of world science and technology development. Its development started from the primitive accumulation in ancient times, laying the foundation in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, with two climaxes in the Han Dynasty, Song Dynasty and Yuan Dynasty, through the enrichment and improvement of the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, and the continuous development with the Tang and Five Dynasties. It is greatly backward, but there is still slow progress. A series of comprehensive works have also appeared, and traditional scientific thought has moved from its peak to its summary. Looking at the entire development process, China's science and technology before the 16th century has always been in a leading position in the world. The outstanding achievements of traditional scientific thought and science and technology are the product of the hard work, good observation, thinking, courage to explore, and emphasis on integration and connection with reality by our ancient scientific and technological pioneers. They shine with the brilliance of the wisdom of our Chinese nation and make contributions to world civilization. A huge contribution. Marx once pointed out: "Gunpowder, the compass, and printing were the three great inventions that foreshadowed the arrival of bourgeois society. ... Generally speaking, they became a means of scientific renaissance and a lever that created the necessary prerequisites for spiritual development." ( Note: Page 47, Page 427 of "The Complete Works of Marx and Engels") Today, many famous scientists have reaffirmed the precious value of traditional Chinese scientific thought, which will surely show a new transfer of Eastern wisdom in the development of science and technology in the 21st century. With new implementations, this is already starting to happen in some disciplines. I firmly believe that our great Chinese nation will once again make its due contribution to human civilization in the new century.
Learning lessons from the long history to serve today’s practical needs is always something worth exploring. The following article will discuss and discuss the characteristics of the development history of science and technology in ancient China based on historical facts.
(1) The development of science and technology in ancient my country, especially the development of scientific thought, has both continuity and the characteristics of staged climaxes
The development of ancient Chinese society from the Five Emperors, The Xia, Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods until the end of the Qing Dynasty lasted for 4,000 years, and there was no historical tragedy like the Roman Empire, nor did it experience the Dark Ages of the Middle Ages in Western Europe. This enables the development of science and technology in ancient my country to be passed down from generation to generation and continuously accumulated, and on this basis, it reaches its peak. The world-famous science historian Joseph Needham once used the important scientific and technological achievements of various periods in ancient China as vertical lines and the centuries as horizontal lines to create a schematic diagram of scientific and technological development. It clearly shows that: whether it is the past 4000 years or the past 500 years, China's science and technology "actually have not regressed at all"; rather, it has "been steadily advancing." He also pointed out in the article "Science and Society in China and the West": "I often like to use a relatively slowly rising curve to illustrate China's evolution. Obviously, this curve is faster than that in Europe at the same period, such as the second century AD. The curve of the evolution process by the fifteenth century rose higher, sometimes much higher." (Note: "Science and Society in China and the West" pp. 65-85, Shanghai Science and Technology Press, 1956 edition.) Zhou Zhongbi of Sichuan University in my country and Mr. Zhou Mengpu from Sichuan Science and Technology Press also cited the major natural science events in China and the major natural science events in Western Europe in the article "A Preliminary Exploration of the Causes of China's Modern Science and Technology Backwardness" (Note: "Nature Magazine" Volume 13, Issue 11, Page 333.) With the number of famous scientists as the ordinate and the century as the abscissa, three growth curves were made. Looking at the curve in China, it also shows that the growth of science and technology in ancient my country was slow and continuous. However, in the long history of 4,000 years, the development of science and technology in ancient China was based on internal and external factors such as politics, economy, culture, and society during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States, Han (especially Eastern Han), and Song and Yuan (especially Northern Song) periods. All show staged climaxes.
The Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period can be said to be the comprehensive foundation period for science and technology in ancient my country, and also the first era of great development. Since the emerging feudal system was superior to the slave system, its achievements not only caught up with but exceeded early science and technology. The most developed ancient Greece.
At the end of the Spring and Autumn Period, carburizing steel appeared in block iron smelting, and during the Warring States Period, white iron processing technology appeared. The invention of these iron smelting technologies is a prominent symbol, and it is it that greatly promoted agriculture and Development of handicraft industry. In terms of agriculture, traditional Chinese agriculture with intensive farming as the main content has been formed. "Lu Shi Chun Qiu" written at the end of the Warring States Period, in which chapters such as "Shang Nong", "Ren Di", "Bian Tu" and "Jian Shi" are famous The above is the beginning of a paper on this agricultural technology. Marked by the construction of two large-scale irrigation projects, Dujiangyan and Zhengguo Canal, it demonstrates the unprecedented development of water conservancy engineering facilities serving agriculture. The description of 36 specialized and practical craft technologies in "Kaogong Ji" including production tools, musical instruments, construction, transportation, leather manufacturing, dyeing, musical instruments, jade, etc., shows the internal refinement of the handicraft industry and the standardization and technical standardization of the handicraft industry during this period. The scientific level has reached a very high level. It records a large amount of practical mechanics knowledge and is the first collection of engineering and technical knowledge in ancient my country. "Mo Jing" contains scientific achievements such as mechanics, optics, acoustics, geometry, logic, and speculation on the structure of matter. It is not only my country's first geometric optics work, but also a leading work in the world, better than Europe. Grid geometric optics predates it by more than a hundred years. At the same time, it is also a representative work of ancient mechanics and optics theory. The introduction of the concept of "force" and the revelation of the idea of ??linear propagation of light add to the brilliance of this work.
It can be said that "Kaogong Ji" and "Mo Jing" together serve as a symbol of the emergence of empirical science in ancient my country. They are the result of people in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period abstractly summarizing the rich experience gained in production and life practice.
Extensive development and progress have been made in mathematics, astronomy and calendar. The decimal value system and calculation system were continuously improved, laying the foundation for the formation of a computational mathematics system with Chinese characteristics in later generations. The records of astronomical observations are detailed and accurate, and they are still valuable historical data for astronomical research even today. In terms of geoscience, the emergence of works such as "The Classic of Mountains and Seas", "Yu Gong", "Guan Zi, Di Yuan" and other works mark that people's geographical knowledge has risen from the accumulation of geographical data to some form of comprehensive discussion and regional comparison. , to serve the political and economic needs of the time. In terms of medicine, it is represented by works such as "Huangdi Neijing", based on the overall view of human organs, the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, and the theory of viscera and meridians, focusing on the research and practice of human anatomy, physiology, pathology, etiology diagnosis, etc., and also Acupuncture, meridians, health care and many other aspects form the initial foundation of my country's unique medical system and have shown outstanding clinical contributions.
The Chinese people are seeking to understand the origin of matter in nature. Following the Five Elements and Yin and Yang theories, the theory of vitality and atomism are two major development clues. Their establishment began with Xun Kuang and Mo Zhai respectively in this era. .
The Han Dynasty was another peak period in the development of science and technology in ancient my country. On the one hand, because science and technology itself had gone through long-term deliberation, accumulation and practice during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, it had reached a point where quantitative changes were enough to cause qualitative changes. On the other hand, social and political unity and stability, economic recovery and sustainable development have created good external conditions for scientific and technological activities and the arrival of a new upsurge in science and technology. It presents many characteristics such as the emergence of scientific and technological talents in large numbers, the publication of a large number of scientific and technological works, brilliant scientific and technological achievements, and the increasingly significant penetration and coordination of science and technology into production.
The writing of "Nine Chapters on Arithmetic" and "Zhoubi Suanjing" shows the formation of a unique mathematical system using the abacus as a calculation tool, which is characterized by the combination of shapes and numbers and the arithmeticization of mathematics. Today, due to the emergence of computers, the role of arithmetic in modern mathematics has become increasingly significant. The ideas and methods of ancient Chinese arithmetic are being integrated with modern computer science and technology. For this reason, it will be rejuvenated and revitalized with a new look. Now, an important role in the development of mathematics can be expected.
The calendar has established the original framework of the calendar system, norms and basic content for future generations of our country, and the development of astronomical instruments and the observation and recording of celestial phenomena represented by Zhang Heng, as well as the cosmology represented by the three heavenly schools This formed the inherent tradition of ancient Chinese astronomy. The emergence of "Hanshu Geography" opened up a new field of historical geography research. "Shen Nong's Materia Medica" is a summary of my country's medicinal knowledge since the Qin and Han Dynasties, which laid the foundation for later generations of herbal medicine; "Treatise on Febrile and Miscellaneous Diseases" not only established the medical principles of dialectical treatment, but also greatly enriched the content of the traditional Chinese medicine system, making it more Suitable for practical medical applications. "The Book of Si Sheng" can be said to be a summary of agricultural knowledge. Books such as "Lunheng", "Huainanzi", "Huainan Wanhuashu", "Zhouyi Shentongqi", "Erya" and other books also contain rich knowledge of physics, chemistry or biology.
In terms of production technology, the main technologies that have become the traditional characteristics of ancient my country, such as iron smelting, textile machinery, agricultural tool manufacturing, papermaking technology, lacquerware technology, shipbuilding, etc., have all appeared and reached a considerable level. . Zhao Guo's iron-legged columbine, Du Shi's water drainage, the principles and methods of stepped ship lock design, wooden structure architectural style, shaft furnace smelting method, maps drawn based on actual measurements, etc. are all outstanding achievements. Papermaking is one of the most significant inventions of the Han Dynasty and a major contribution of our country to world civilization. The promotion of cattle farming and the innovation of the farmland method and district farmland method played an important role in liberating and promoting the development of productivity under the conditions at that time.
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