The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery, and Invention | Robert Temple

The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery, and Invention | Robert Temple | The Genius of China

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The Genius of Chin...

	The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery, and Invention Robert Temple Inner Traditions, 2007 - 288 pages average customer review:based on 11 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Revised, full-color illustrated edition of the multi-award-winning, international bestseller that charts the unparalleled and astounding achievement of ancient China

? Brings to life one hundred Chinese ?firsts? in the fields of agriculture, astronomy, engineering, mathematics, medicine, music, technology, and warfare

? Based on the definitive work of the world?s most famous Sinologist, Joseph Needham (1900-1995), author of Science and Civilisation in China

? Organized by field, invention, and discovery for ease of reference

Undisputed masters of invention and discovery for 3,000 years, the ancient Chinese were the first to discover the solar wind and the circulation of the blood and even to isolate sex hormones. From the suspension bridge and the seismograph to deep drilling for natural gas, the iron plough, and the parachute, ancient China?s contributions in the fields of engineering, medicine, technology, mathematics, science, transportation, warfare, and music helped inspire the European agricultural and industrial revolutions.

Since its original publication, The Genius of China has won five literary awards in America and been translated into 43 languages. Its Chinese edition, The Spirit of Chinese Invention, was approved by the Chinese Ministry of Education for use in connection with the national secondary curriculum in China. Based on the immense, authoritative scholarship of the late Joseph Needham, the world?s foremost scholar of Chinese science, and including a foreword by him, this revised full-color illustrated edition brings to life the spirit and excitement of the unparalleled achievements of ancient China.

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Ancient Chinese Technology

Wow. This is an incredible book! Like many readers of popular modern science, I constantly underestimate the inventiveness and technology of ancient man. This book really highlights that. Also, it's an amazing inventory of creativity and inventiveness that the current China seems to be regaining. Imagine very modern inventions like glow-in-the-dark paint and natural gas mining being invented before the First Century AD!
I read this as a way to get familiar with the technology of one of the most inventive people and times in history so that I could use it in conworld creation. I was NOT disappointed! The idea that they had movable type and spill-proof lanterns were revelations to me. Not to mention the quality of their ceramics and lacquer.
However, you've really got to want this information to read this book. I found the author's style to be quite dry and academic. In some cases, it even seemed rather biased in favor of the Chinese, but, as my wife pointed out, that's to be expected considering the subject matter.
All in all, though, the author's writing skills are not enough to keep me from heartily recommending this book to anyone interested in the technology of the ancient world.

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The Genius of China

This book is very good to have, especially for Chinese parents with children. Children with Chinese ascentors will be proud of their ancestry and thus accept who they are and not try to be someone else. It will help to cultivate self awareness in children with Chinese blood.

An outstanding survey highly recommended for any collection strong in Chinese history and culture.

The ancient Chinese were masters of discovery and innovation for 3,000 years, and THE GENIUS OF CHINA: 3,000 YEARS OF SCIENCE, DISCOVERY & INVENTION documents these discoveries, originally winning five literary awards with its original publication. Its republication makes for a top pick for any college-level collection strong in Chinese history and culture, offering a revised full-color edition that brings to life elements of ancient Chinese history. China's early contributions to science, engineering, medicine and technology are documented in an outstanding survey highly recommended for any collection strong in Chinese history and culture.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

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On Chinese Genius

Personally, I am a bit disappointed in its coverage which seems not so in depth... But nevertheless sufficient for the layman to at least catch a glimpse of what the ancient Chinese has achieved. By profession, I am a trained Engineer and am currently seeking a Masters in Theoretical Physics. And of course I am a Singaporean Chinese. From young, I was taught alot of Chinese Maths and Chinese algorithmic methods .. which were dry and boring then..and which was more often than not confusing. Now it was confusing not because it is not good but rather we were taught Western methods that stresses different computational methodology.. But the difference is that the Chinese method can sometimes do it faster!!..For example: what is 1 + 3 + 5 +..+ 17? Chinese method would just point to the 9th finger and give the answer as 81. I have often wondered just what do the Ancient Chinese know that I do not... And so I set a course to find out as many things I could about my ancestors..(which many people may look down on)..First.. I needed to find out about Chinese Mathematics Achievments, the extent of their knowledge..I am not at all convinced about the allegation that it was imported from elsewhere.. simply because China was geograpically isolated and there are no countries around which it could borrow knowledge from ...At its height, it was the most advanced .... (until Qing Dynasty and the jesuit input: By then the Chinese had deteriorated...). that China had indeed some impressive achievements: that of discovering Zero...( shown in 2002) the knowledge of Phythagoras, that of being the first in solving n-Degree Equation..that of solving Similar Triangle..and more.... And all these could be gathered from the net.. Second, I wanted to find out just how advanced the Science were... THere were readers who alledged that it seemed magical and perhaps foolishness.. I beg to differ. Isn't modern Chemistry playing around with different chemicals or mixing anions with cations that reacts to give a different compound?? And more than that, I wanted to find out the extent of knowledge importing and exporting from China.. if.. I am wrong... But I was then led to a few books :
The year the Chinese discovered America :1421 by Menzies, and when China ruled the seas.. by Louise Levathes..
And I was led to more sites in the internet.. and more recent discoveries in Singapore itself that proved that China has had extensive trade with her neighbours.. And readers of the following books will find that China has had perfected the technique of latitude and longitude crossing...that implies that China was not isolated...A check with Temple's findings were done in 2000.. when I went to China on an "expedition trip"...I admit I was very impressed with the Great Wall.. even as an Engineer...So.. I guess I have to give my forefathers some credit here... And this book serves as a beginning.. No less!!
I recommend more reading on the subject though... for those interested..

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Nice information but little bit confusing

I really don't know much about Chinese history and ancient technology of the world. But this book gave me lots of information about ancient technologies of Chinese and Greeks.
Although I believe many Great inventions Chinese made does not get credited to Chinese such as Crossbow and firearms. But this book seems give too much of credit to Chinese invention and how it affected western technologies because many inventions are done independently.

Overall it is a good book and Chinese people should be proud of what their ancestors acheived.

reviews: page 1, 2, 3

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