The Chinese Astronomical Bureau, 1620–1850: Lineages, Bureaucracy and Technical Expertise

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Ping-Ying Chang

The Chinese Astronomical Bureau, 1620–1850

Lineages, Bureaucracy and Technical Expertise

Ping-Ying Chang

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English

Routledge
27 May 2024

Regional studies; General & world history; Asian history; Astronomy, space & time

Series: Needham Research Institute Series

This book offers a new insight into one of the most interesting and long-lived institutions known to historians of science, the Chinese imperial Astronomical Bureau, which for two millennia observed, recorded, interpreted and predicted the movements of the celestial bodies.

Utilising archival material, such as the résumés written for imperial audiences and personnel administration records, the book traces the rise and fall of more than thirty hereditary families serving at the Astronomical Bureau from the late Ming period to the end of the Qing dynasty. The book also presents an in-depth view into the organisation and function of the Bureau and succinctly charts the impacts of historical developments during the Ming and Qing periods, including the Regency of Prince Dorgon, the influence of the Jesuits, the relationship between the Kangxi and Yongzheng emperors and the He family and the failure of the bureau to predict correctly the solar eclipse of 1730.

Presenting a social history of the Qing Astronomical Bureau from the perspective of hereditary astronomer families, this book will be of interest to scholars and students of Chinese Imperial history, the history of science and Asian history.

By: Ping-Ying Chang
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 234mm, Width: 156mm,
Weight: 453g
ISBN: 9781032354903
ISBN 10: 1032354909
Series: Needham Research Institute Series
Pages: 230
Publication Date: 27 May 2024
Audience: College/higher education , Primary
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

1. Introduction 2. The Organization of the Qing Astronomical Bureau 3. From the Old Method to the New Method 4. Kangxi Calendar Dispute 5. Emperors and the He Brothers 6. The Solar Eclipse of 1730 7. Knowledge Reproduction 8. Maintaining a Familial Career 9. The Decline of Missionary Influence and the Nineteenth-Century Reforms of the Astronomical Bureau 10. Conclusion

Ping-Ying Chang is Adjunct Assistant Professor of mathematics at the National Taiwan Normal University, Taiwan, where she teaches courses on the history of mathematics and mathematical thinking in fictions and films.