Challenging monolithic modern narratives about 'Chinese science', Daniel Patrick Morgan examines the astral sciences in China c.221 BCE–750 CE as a study in the disunities of scientific cultures and the narratives by which ancients and moderns alike have fought to instil them with a sense of unity. The book focuses on four unifying 'legends' recounted by contemporary subjects: the first two, redolent of antiquity, are the 'observing of signs' and 'granting of seasons' by ancient sage kings...

This book contains an edited selection of the papers presented at the Second International Conference on the History of Ancient Mathematics and Astronomy (ICHAMA), organized by Tang Quan and Qu Anjing and held in Xi’an, 2–8 December 2018, commemorating the foundation. This collection, consisting of papers that have been refined and edited into scientific articles, provides an overview of how the history of science can be international, stepping beyond area studies, without being Euro-centr...

This book examines the role of medieval authors in writing the history of ancient science. It features essays that explore the content, structure, and ideas behind technical writings on medieval Chinese state history. In particular, it looks at the Ten Treatises of the current History of Sui, which provide insights into the writing on the history of such fields as astronomy, astrology, omenology, economics, law, geography, metrology, and library science. Three treatises are known ...