Treccani History of Science
Science in China
B2 – Song-Yuan (960-1368): A renaissance?
Edited by Karine Chemla, Francesca Bray, George Métailié
Introduction
The Song: Political, demographic and economic aspects
• 1. Continuity and dynastic rupture
• 2. Growth, migration and urbanization
• 3. Markets and State activism
Natural knowledge in the neo-Confucian intellectual context
• 1. The Song intellectual climate: neo-Confucianism
• 2. Li and gewu: convergence of moral and intellectual endeavours
• 3. Broad interest of the neo-Confucians
• 4. Narrowing of interest in the Southern Song and Yuan
• 5. The neo-Confucian natural world and conceptual schemes
• 6. Particularistic and ‘common-sense’ natural knowledge of the neo-Confucians
Science and social context
• 1. Writers: values and institutions
• 2. State, society and promotion of positive sciences
• 3. Enhancement of innovations: Song modernity
Educational institutions and the production of ‘texts’
• 1. Private and government education
• 2. The civil service examination system and its impact
• 3. Academies and the rise of the daoxue
• 4. Generalist education. Rites, classics and literary compositions
• 5. Elementary schools, family education and childhood
• 6. Government higher educational institution: Directorate of education
• 7. Intellectual life: the production of texts
Production, circulation and management of writings
• 1. The transformations of the book
• 2. The invention of xylography and its effects
• 3. Multiplication and reproducibility of texts. Typographic techniques
• 4. Book circuits: libraries and bookstores
• 5. Bibliographies and dissemination of knowledge
The study of language: Phonology
• 1. The fanqie method
• 2. Lexical tones
• 3. Rhyme tables and phonation
Mathematics
• 1. A Renaissance in mathematics and the later Northern tradition
• 2. The Southern tradition: Qin Jiushao and Yang Hui
• 3. The synthesis of Northern and Southern mathematical traditions in the work of Zhu Shijie
Astronomy
• 1. State control and civil astronomy
• 2. Imperial patronage of astronomy and astrology in the Northern Song period
• 3. Imperial patronage of astronomy during the Southern Song period
• 4. Imperial patronage of astronomy during the Jin and Yuan dynasties
• 5. Astronomical instruments in the Song and Yuan dynasties
Patterns of organisation of knowledge
• 1. The flourishing of a new kinds of texts: Biji or Brush note
• 2. Brush talks from Dream brook
• 3. The natural world of Nature
• 4. Antiquarianism
• 5. The question of light
Navigation, travels and maps
• 1. The Chinese Navy under the Song and Yuan
• 2. Naval development and technical-scientific progress
Agriculture
• 1. Printing and the communication of agronomic knowledge
• 2. The rise of southern farming
• 3. ‘Green revolutions’, agriculture and the State
Medicine
• 1. The philosophy of medicine: theory of systematic correspondences
• 2. The social production of medical knowledge
Technological aspects: Chinese architecture in the Song period and Li Jie’s building standards
• 1. Li Jie’s building standards
• 2. The Cai system
• 3. The composition of the Standards
China and the Muslim world