Great Wall of China

Author: Wu Wenjun, Chief Editor; Shen, Chief Editor
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1999-08-01
Features: In 1984, four experts and professors on the history of Chinese mathematics proposed to compile a comprehensive and monumental work on the historical development of traditional Chinese mathematics, titled The Great Series of the History of Chinese Mathematics. These four professors (in order of age) are: Professor Bai Shangshu from Beijing Normal University; Professor Shen from Hangzhou University; Professor Li Di from Inner Mongolia Normal University; and Professor Li Jimin from Northwest University. Traditional Chinese mathematics has a long and profound history, with its own unique ideological system and developmental path. From ancient times to the Song and Yuan dynasties, it was a dominant force in the global development of mathematics for a long period. However, since the Ming Dynasty, due to various political and social reasons, as pointed out by Xu Guangqi at the end of the Ming Dynasty, on one hand, "scholars who focus on theory and neglect the practicalities of the world," and on the other hand, "superstitious practices that falsely claim numbers have divine principles," traditional Chinese mathematics was on the brink of extinction. It was later completely overshadowed and monopolized by the Western Euclidean tradition. Although there was a brief period of emphasis during the Kangxi and Qianlong reigns, it was merely limited to the excavation and interpretation of ancient texts. By the mid-20th century, when Mr. Li Yan and Mr. Qian Baocong wrote specialized works on the history of Chinese mathematics for introduction, the ancient Chinese mathematics managed to survive by a thread. This volume discusses the continuation and further development of traditional Chinese mathematics. The book is divided into eight parts: General Introduction, Surviving Mathematical Books of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Prominent Calculators of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Astronomical Calculations Before and Middle Tang, the Historical and Global Significance of Mathematical Development During This Period, etc.