For 2,000 years the Chinese people had a most remarkable record in science and technology. Then from two to three centuries ago a decline set in. Commenting on ancient Chinese technological discoveries and inventions, Dr. Joseph Needham writes in the preface to his great work Scitence and Civilisation in China that they were "often far in advance (as we shall have little difficulty in showing) of contemporary Europe, especially up to the 15th century".

Catalogued according to different scientific fields, the book draws wisdom from authoritative experts in the institute of the History of Natural Sciences (IHNS) from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and comprehensively introduces ancient Chinas scientific and technological achieve- ments in such fields as astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, agriculture, medicine, printing, spinning and weaving, metal-lurgy and foundry, machinery, architecture, ship-building and navigation, and military technology, etc. This book is Of high academic quality yet writ- ten in the simplest language possible, and thus is a very readable popular science collection.

PREFACE

RECORDS OF ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS

ASTROMETRY AND ASTROMETRIC INSTRUMENTS

CHINESE CALENDARS

MATHEMATICAL CLASSICS

THE DECIMAL PLACE-VALUE NUMERATION AND THE ROD AND BEAD ARITHMETICS

THE OUT-IN COMPLEMENTARY PRINCIPLE

METHOD FOR DETERMINING SEGMENT AREAS AND EVALUA- TION OF

THE CHINESE REMAINDER THEOREM

THE NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF HIGHER EQUATIDNS ANDTHE TIANYUAN METHOD

MECHANICS

ACOUSTICS

MAGNETISM AND THE COMPASS

OPTICS

THE INVENTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF PAPERMAKING

GUNPOWDER AND FIREARMS

PORCELAIN

LACQUER AND LACQUER TECHNIQUE

ALCHEMY IN ANCIENT CHINA

PHENOLOGICAL CALENDARS AND KNOWLEDGE OF PHE- NOLOGY

WATER CONSERVANCY PROJECTS AND KNOWLEDGE OFHYDROLOGY

MAPS 2,000 YEARS AGO AND ANCIENT CARTOGRAPHICAL RULES

ROCKS, MINERALOGY AND MINING

EARTHQUAKE FORECASTING,PRECAUTIONS AGAINST EARTHQUAKES AND ANTI-SEISMIC MEASURES

RESEARCHES IN HEREDITY AND BREEDING

SOME OUTSTANDING WORKS ON AGRICULTURE

SERICULTURE

HORTICULTURE

TEA

TWO CELEBRATED MEDICAL WORKS

ACUPUNCTURE AND MOXIBUSTION

ACHIEVEMENTS IN ANCIENT CHINESE PHARMACOLOGY

DIAGNOSIS BY PULSE FEELING IN CHINESE TRADITIONAL MEDICINE

SURGERY IN ANCIENT CHINA

THE WORLD'S EARLIEST WORKS ON FORENSIC MEDICINE

THE INVENTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF RINTING ANDITS DISSEMINATION ABROAD

METALLURGY

FOUNDING

AGRICULTURAL MACHINES

VARIOUS TYPES OF CARRIAGES; THE SOUTH-POINTING CARRIAGE AND ODOMETER

THE GREAT WALL

BRIDGES

THE TANG DYNASTY CAPITAL OF CHANGAN

A WOODEN PAGODA MORE THAN 900 YEARS OLD

SHIPBUILDING

THE TECHNIQUE OF MARITIME NAVIGATION

THE SPINNING WHEEL AND THE LOOM

SILK AND SILK TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY

CHRONOLOGY OF CHINESE DYNASTIES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

GLOSSARY

GENERAL INDEX

POSTSCRIPT