Einstein in China

Author: Hu Dayan
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-07-01
Features: Geometry is also closely related to mechanics, as Newton said in his Principia: "Geometry is based on the practice of mechanics; it is not something else but a part of universal mechanics."8 Einstein believed that "(the formal logical system of Euclidean geometry)" is one of the two cornerstones of Western science.9 Like in the West, the Elements of Euclid was also a key foundation for the in-depth development of astronomy and mechanics in China.10 The translation methods of Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi became a model for later missionaries to follow. Their process of translating the Elements was similar to that of Buddhist scholars in the 5th century translating Buddhist classics, although on a much smaller scale.11 First, Matteo Ricci translated the original text orally into Chinese, and Xu Guangqi recorded it in classical Chinese to become a draft. Subsequently, Xu Guangqi refined the translation by comparing it with the original through Ricci's oral translation.12 In addition to Euclidean geometry, Matteo Ricci introduced other Western sciences, such as optics and mechanics. However, his most important contribution was the strategy of using scholarship to spread the Christian faith, which inspired generations of Catholic and Protestant missionaries. Matteo Ricci's contribution to the modern development of Chinese science was so significant that historians marked the date of his arrival in China as the starting point of modern Chinese science.13 Since 1595, Matteo Ricci had been requesting his superiors in Rome to send an "outstanding mathematician" to Beijing, preferably an "astronomy expert," as his friends in the Chinese government repeatedly asked him to help revise the Chinese calendar. Ricci believed that if the Jesuits could correct the Chinese calendar, it would "enhance our prestige, make it easier for us to enter China, and better ensure our safety and freedom."14 Rome satisfied his request far longer than Ricci had expected. Nevertheless, more scientists came to China in the 17th century for missionary purposes. Among them were two Germans, Johann Terrentius (1576–1630) and Johann Adam Schall von Bell (1592–1666), both of whom arrived in Macao in July 1619 and later played important roles in China's calendar reform efforts. P4