Science and Civilisation in China Vol. 5 Chemistry and Chemical Technology - Part 9 Textile Technology - Spinning and Reeling

Needham Joseph. Science and Civilisation in China Vol. 5 Chemistry and Chemical Technology - Part 9 Textile Technology - Spinning and Reeling 1988 [pdf 554sc 520c. 16.13mb] Contributors: Bray, Francesca; Daniels, Christian; Golas, Peter J.; Harbsmeier, Christoph; Ho, Ping-Yü; Huang, H. T.; Kuhn, Dieter; Lu, Gwei-Djen; Menzies, Nicholas K.; Needham, Joseph; Tsien, Tsuen-Hsuin; Wang, Ling; Yates, Robin D. S. Part one of the fifth volume of Joseph Needham's great enterprise is written by one of the project's collaborators. Professor Tsien Tsuen-Hsuin, working in regular consultation with Dr Needham, has written the most comprehensive account of every aspect of paper and printing in China to be published in the West. From a close study of the vast mass of source material, Professor Tsien brings order and illumination to an area of technology which has been of profound importance in the spread of civilisation. The main body of the book is a detailed study of the invention, technology and aesthetic development of printing in China. From the growth and ultimate refinements of early woodcut printing to the spread of printing from movable type and the development of book-binding, Professor Tsien carries the story forward to the beginning of the nineteenth century when 'more printed pages existed in Chinese than in all other languages put together'. The fifth volume of the late Dr. Needham's immense undertaking covers the subjects of chemistry and chemical technology. This, the thirteenth part of the volume, is the first history of Chinese mining to appear in a Western language. Spanning from the Neolithic period to the present day, it deals with the full range of Chinese mining from copper to mercury, arsenic to coal. The author explores not only the written sources but also the archaeological remains, and observes the traditional techniques still in use. The interrelationship between Chinese mining and its social, economic and political implications is examined. Through these discoveries, the author concludes that these factors were probably more important in determining how mining was carried out than the technological progress itself. Introduction Nature and evolution of paper Technology and proceses of papermaking Uses of paper and paper products origin and development of printing in China Techniques and procedures of Chinese printing Aesthetic aspects of Chinese printing Spread of paper and printing to the West Migration of paper and printing eastwards and southwards Contribution of paper and printing to world civilization Bibliographies. This highly illustrated volume offers a comprehensive account of botanical knowledge in China before the introduction of modern botany. Georges Metailie explores the perception and use of a wealth of plants in China until the end of the seventeenth century, proposing a new, non-teleological view of knowledge in ancient China. OF all the products from the ancient world, few can compare in significance with the Chinese inventions of paper and printing. Whether in times past or more recently, few aspects of the history of technology have been so poorly understood as mining. Chinese agricultural technology ranked as the most advanced in the pre-modern world. China is, one might say, the agrarian state par excellence.