The Crafting of the 10,000 Things : Knowledge and Technology in Seventeenth-Century China

The last decades of the Ming dynasty, though plagued by chaos and destruction, saw a significant increase of publications that examined advances in knowledge and technology. Among the numerous guides and reference books that appeared during this period was a series of texts by Song Yingxing (1587–1666?), a minor local official living in southern China. His Tiangong kaiwu , the longest and most prominent of these works, documents the extraction and processing of raw materials and the manufacture of goods essential to everyday life, from yeast and wine to paper and ink to boats, carts, and firearms. In The Crafting of the 10,000 Things , Dagmar Schäfer probes this fascinating text and the legacy of its author to shed new light on the development of scientific thinking in China, the purpose of technical writing, and its role in and effects on Chinese history. Meticulously unfolding the layers of Song’s personal and cultural life, Schäfer chronicles the factors that motivated Song to transform practical knowledge into written culture. She then examines how Song gained, assessed, and ultimately presented knowledge, and in doing so articulates this era’s approaches to rationality, truth, and belief in the study of nature and culture alike. Finally, Schäfer places Song’s efforts in conjunction with the work of other Chinese philosophers and writers, before, during, and after his time, and argues that these writings demonstrate collectively a uniquely Chinese way of authorizing technology as a legitimate field of scholarly concern and philosophical knowledge. Offering an overview of a thousand years of scholarship, The Crafting of the 10,000 Things explains the role of technology and crafts in a culture that had an outstandingly successful tradition in this field and was a crucial influence on the technical development of Europe on the eve of the Industrial Revolution. Contents ......Page 6 Introduction......Page 10 Knowing “Things and Affairs” in Premodern China......Page 18 Nature, Crafts, and Knowing......Page 22 1. Private Affairs......Page 29 The Ming Dynasty and the Song Family......Page 33 Childhood and Education......Page 36 Driving Forces—The Appointment of Chen Qixin......Page 48 Song’s Writing Campaign......Page 52 2. Affairs of Honor......Page 59 Knowledge in Terms of Qi: Universal Rulings and Rationality......Page 64 The Truth in Heaven and the Order of Qi......Page 79 The Power of Heaven—Omens and Eclipses......Page 85 Systems of Value: The Sage-Kings, the Authority of the Past, and Man’s Role......Page 89 The Knowledge in Crafts......Page 96 3. Public Affairs......Page 99 Crafts and the Ming State......Page 103 Man’s Nature (Xing) and Talents......Page 117 Abilities and Education......Page 124 Social Permeability and the Commercialization of Society: The Merchant......Page 129 Customs and Habits......Page 132 4. Written Affairs......Page 136 Rhetoric of Knowledge Inquiry: Texts and Experience......Page 141 Images, Technology, and Argument......Page 147 Observing the Nature of Qi: Theory and Practice in Knowledge Construction......Page 165 The Complexity of Qi Transformations—Composites and Compositions of Qi......Page 176 5. Formulating the Transformation......Page 184 Reading the Signature of Yin- Yang Qi in Gas, Salt, Wind, and Rain......Page 186 Growth and Decay: Wood, Corpses, and the Proportional Relation of Yin and Yang......Page 196 Glitches in the Matrix of Qi: The Concepts of Ashes and Particles......Page 202 6. Acoustics......Page 212 An Anatomy of Sound......Page 215 The Human Voice......Page 221 Volume and Velocity......Page 225 Resonance and Harmony......Page 231 Conclusion. Leaving the Theater......Page 239 Epilogue. The Aftermath......Page 250 By Virtue of Friendship: Literary Sponsorship......Page 252 By Virtue of Position: Outside and Opposition......Page 259 By Virtue of Loyalty: Moral Obligations......Page 262 An Artifact in Transmission: The Editions of the Works of Heaven......Page 267 Writing about Practical Knowledge in the Chinese Literati World......Page 271 Acknowledgments......Page 276 Appendix 1. Chinese Dynasties and Various Rulers......Page 280 Appendix 2. Song Yingxing Curriculum Vitae......Page 282 Appendix 3. Editions of the Tiangong kaiwu......Page 283 Notes......Page 286 Bibliography......Page 316 Index......Page 336 The Chapters In This Book Cover 'asian Studies: East Asia' 'biography And Letters', 'history: Asian History', 'history European History', 'history Of Science', 'literature And Literary Criticism: Asian Languages', And Much More. Knowing Things And Affairs In Premodern China -- Nature, Crafts, And Knowing -- Private Affairs -- The Ming Dynasty And The Song Family -- Childhood And Education -- Driving Forces: The Appointment Of Chen Qixin -- Song's Writing Campaign -- Affairs Of Honor -- Knowledge In Terms Of Qi: Universal Rulings And Rationality -- The Truth In Heaven And The Order Of Qi -- The Power Of Heaven: Omens And Eclipses -- Systems Of Value: The Sage-kings, The Authority Of The Past, And Man's Role -- The Knowledge In Crafts -- Public Affairs -- Crafts And The Ming State -- Man's Nature (xing) And Talents -- Abilities And Education -- Social Permeability And The Commercialization Of Society: The Merchant -- Customs And Habits -- Written Affairs -- Rhetoric Of Knowledge Inquiry: Texts And Experience -- Images, Technology And Argument -- Observing The Nature Of Qi: Theory And Practice In Knowledge Construction -- The Complexity Of Qi Transformations: Composites And Compositions Of Qi -- Formulating The Transformation -- Reading The Signature Of Yin-yang Qi In Gas, Salt, Wind, And Rain -- Growth And Decay: Wood, Corpses, And The Proportional Relation Of Yin And Yang -- Glitches In The Matrix Of Qi: The Concepts Of Ashes And Particles -- Acoustics -- An Anatomy Of Sound -- The Human Voice -- Volume And Velocity -- Resonance And Harmony -- Conclusion. Leaving The Theater -- Epilogue. Aftermath -- By Virtue Of Friendship: Literary Sponsorship -- By Virtue Of Position: Outside And Opposition -- By Virtue Of Loyalty: Moral Obligations -- An Artifact In Transmission: The Editions Of The Works Of Heaven -- Writing About Practical Knowledge In The Chinese Literati World -- Acknowledgments -- Appendix 1. Chinese Dynasties And Various Rulers -- Appendix 2. Song Yingxing Curriculum Vitae -- Appendix 3. Editions Of The Tiangong Kaiwu. Dagmar Schäfer. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 307-326) And Index. The last decades of the Ming dynasty, though plagued by chaos and destruction, saw a significant increase of publications that examined advances in knowledge and technology. Among the numerous guides and reference books that appeared during this period was a series of texts by Song Yingxing (1587–1666?), a minor local official living in southern China. His __Tiangong kaiwu__, the longest and most prominent of these works, documents the extraction and processing of raw materials and the manufacture of goods essential to everyday life, from yeast and wine to paper and ink to boats, carts, and firearms. In __The Crafting of the 10,000 Things__, Dagmar Schäfer probes this fascinating text and the legacy of its author to shed new light on the development of scientific thinking in China, the purpose of technical writing, and its role in and effects on Chinese history. Meticulously unfolding the layers of Song’s personal and cultural life, Schäfer chronicles the factors that motivated Song to transform practical knowledge into written culture. She then examines how Song gained, assessed, and ultimately presented knowledge, and in doing so articulates this era’s approaches to rationality, truth, and belief in the study of nature and culture alike. Finally, Schäfer places Song’s efforts in conjunction with the work of other Chinese philosophers and writers, before, during, and after his time, and argues that these writings demonstrate collectively a uniquely Chinese way of authorizing technology as a legitimate field of scholarly concern and philosophical knowledge. Offering an overview of a thousand years of scholarship, __The Crafting of the 10,000 Things__ explains the role of technology and crafts in a culture that had an outstandingly successful tradition in this field and was a crucial influence on the technical development of Europe on the eve of the Industrial Revolution. The last decades of the Ming dynasty, though plagued by chaos and destruction, saw a significant increase in publications that examined advances in knowledge and technology. Among the numerous guides and reference books that appeared during this period was a series of texts by Song Yingxing (1587-1666?), a minor local official living in southern China. His Tiangong kaiwu , the longest and most prominent of these works, documents the extraction and processing of raw materials and the manufacture of goods essential to everyday life, from yeast and wine to paper and ink to boats, carts, and firearms. This book probes this text and the legacy of its author to examine the development of scientific thinking in China, the purpose of technical writing, and its role in and effects on Chinese history. The author chronicles the factors that motivated Song to transform practical knowledge into written culture. She then examines how Song gained, assessed, and ultimately presented knowledge, and in doing so articulates this era's approaches to rationality, truth, and belief in the study of nature and culture alike. The book places Song's efforts in conjunction with the work of other Chinese philosophers and writers, before, during, and after his time, and argues that these writings demonstrate collectively a uniquely Chinese way of authorizing technology as a legitimate field of scholarly concern and philosophical knowledge The last decades of the Ming dynasty, though plagued by chaos and destruction, saw major advances in knowledge and technology. This title sheds light on the development of scientific thinking in China, the purpose of technical writing, and its role in and effects on Chinese history.