Kao Gong Ji The Worlds Oldest Encyclopaedia of Technologies (Technology and Change in History)

Kao Gong Ji: A Translation and Commentary by Guan Zengjian and Konrad Herrmann offers an English translation of Chinas first technological encyclopaedia. Commentaries show the extent to which the descriptions of the technologies correspond to archaeological findings. Contents 6 Abbreviations and Conventions 8 Illustrations 9 Tables 13 Preface 14 Foreword 16 Introduction 18 1 On Historical Editions and Commenting of “Kao Gong Ji” 18 2 Historical Background of “Kao Gong Ji” 21 3 Location and Period of Origin of “Kao Gong Ji” 31 Part 1 The Text 34 卷上 (Part One) 36 Part 1: Introduction 37 Manufacture of Chariots 45 1. The Wheelmaker 49 2. The Carriage Carpenter 56 3. The Pole Carpenter 60 4. The Bronze Caster 64 5. Bronze Weapons 66 6. Bronze Bells 70 7. Measuring Standards 73 8. Agricultural Tools (Missing) 76 9. Leather 77 10. The Tanner 79 11. The Drum Maker 81 12. Tailor of Mourning Garments (Missing) 82 13. Furrier (Missing) 82 14. Paints 83 15. Dyer of Feathers 85 16. Dyer of Clothes and Silks (Missing) 86 17. Dyer of Silk 86 卷下 (Part Two) 88 Part 2: 18. The Jade Polisher 89 19. Comb Maker (Missing) 93 20. Bone Carver (Missing) 93 21. The Manufacturer of Chimes 94 22. The Arrow Tip Manufacturer 96 23. The Potter 98 24. The Carpenter Ziren 101 25. The Weapon Carpenter 106 26. Construction Workers 110 27. The Carriage Manufacturer 118 28. The Bow Manufacturer 125 Part 2 Analysis – Commentaries 136 1 Manufacture of Carriages 138 2 Astronomy 147 3 Bronze Technology 151 4 Bronze Objects – Vessels, Weapons, Mirrors 157 5 Metrology 163 6 Musical Instruments 171 7 Jade 179 8 Ceramics and Porcelain 185 9 Civil Engineering 189 10 Manufacture of Bows 200 Bibliography 206 Index of Personal and Geographical Names 233 Index of Subjects 235 "In Kao Gong Ji: The World's Oldest Encyclopaedia of Technologies, Guan Zengjian and Konrad Herrmann offer an English translation and commentary of the first technological encyclopaedia in China. This work came into being around the 5th century C.E. and contains descriptions of thirty technologies used at the time. Most prominent are bronze casting, the manufacture of carriages and weapons, a metrological standard, the making of musical instruments, and the planning of cities. The technologies, including the manufacturing process and quality assurance, are based on standardization and modularization. In several commentaries, the editors show to which degree the descriptions of Kao Gong Ji correspond to archaeological findings"-- Provided by publisher