[Exploration of the source of scientific and technological civilization].
Reporter Sun Mingyuan.
In the history of ancient Chinese science, it is recognized that there are four major sections of "Tiansuan Agricultural Medicine", namely astronomy, mathematics, agriculture and medicine. In fact, in addition to these four disciplines, there are other disciplines that have formed a certain system, such as geography.
Geography plays a pivotal role in the development of ancient society and social governance. Administrative divisions are inseparable from mapping, water conservancy projects are inseparable from geomorphological and hydrological exploration, and agricultural production is inseparable from climatic and meteorological observation ......Wang Qianqian, a professor at the School of Humanities at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences and director of the Institute of Maps of the National Museum, said that the ancient Chinese made great achievements in many branches of geography, and geography played a variety of social functions in China's social and economic development.
China's geographical exploration activities have a long history.
Wang Qianjin pointed out that limited by the cognitive level of the ancients, ancient Chinese geography was not developed. As in the rest of the world, the geography of the ancient Chinese contained many things that were imaginary. However, the ancient Chinese already had the awareness of observation and mastered the corresponding methods, which was the basis for the generation of geographical knowledge.
The "scenery is Gang, its yin and yang, and its flowing spring" recorded in the Book of Songs, Daya is the early record of the ancients' geographical observations. In addition to observing with the eyes, the ancients also used various tools to aid in observation. For example, in the process of river hydrological observations, the ancients would use a fixed device called the water rule to observe when the water rises, when the water recedes, and how high the water reaches during the flood season each year. With the Fengjie Ji Water Tablet, Yunyang Longji Stone and other water rules distributed throughout the country, the ancients could record the hydrological situation of each month and ten months within a year. Disasters that occur once in 10 years, 50 years, and 100 years in history have been recorded by relevant agencies using these water rules.
Exploratory activities are of great significance for expanding geographical knowledge. Wang Qianjin said that the ancient Chinese carried out a large number of expeditions, and these expeditions played a role equivalent to geographical investigations. Many travelers, historians, and scientists have done such expeditions.
Zhang Qian of the Han Dynasty sent two missions to the Western Regions to bring back the geographical knowledge, customs and products of the Western Regions to the Central Plains. Fa Xian of the Jin Dynasty recorded a lot of extraterritorial geographical information in his autobiography written during his travels. The Records of the Western Regions of the Tang Dynasty written by Xuanzang of the Tang Dynasty is an important document for the study of the ancient history and geography of India and other countries, which records the geographical information and social conditions of the countries in the Western Regions from different angles and different aspects. Wang Dayuan of the Yuan Dynasty, from the port of Quanzhou, went to many countries, as far as Mozambique in present-day Africa. Based on these experiences, he wrote "Shimayi Zhiluo", which recorded the situation of more than 200 ancient countries and regions, and gave people at that time a better understanding of world geography.
Of all the explorers, the most famous was Zheng He. Zheng He was sent by the Yongle Emperor of the Ming Dynasty to Southeast Asia and the Indian Ocean region. His fleet made seven voyages to the Western Ocean, leaving behind the famous nautical charts "Zheng He's Navigation Chart", "Xingcha Shenglan", "Yingya Shenglan" and other geographical works.
Xu Xiake was the most outstanding explorer in ancient China and the first person to systematically investigate karst landforms. He formulated the names of lava landforms, recognized the development characteristics of lava landforms, and analyzed the causes of such landforms. In addition, he also revisited the issue of the source of the Yangtze River and corrected his original misunderstanding. Xu Xiake's series of activities have a very important position in the history of Chinese geoscience and even the history of world geoscience.
The means to translate knowledge into a system are in place.
How to deal with the knowledge gained through exploration, and put it there in a haphazard manner? Not really. Wang Qianjin introduced that the ancient Chinese already had a set of means to transform knowledge into a system.
Definition is the first step in systematization. In China's ancient records, there are basic definitions of some geographical concepts. For example, "Pipe Map" was the first to define the concept of map; The "Daya Shidi" recorded in "Daya Shidi" is a systematic definition of the terrain, "Daye is said to be flat, Guangping is said to be plain, Gaoping is said to be land, the mainland is called Fu, Dafu is called Ling, and the people who can live in the water are called Zhou". These definitions in the book provide a solid foundation for further academic research.
The most important thing to do after the definition is to classify. "Yu Gong" divides the soil of Kyushu into 10 species; "Pipe" classifies the topography, such as dividing the hills into 15 types, and also makes a specific classification of water bodies, calling the main stream as meridian water, tributaries as tributary water, and under the tributaries there are valley water, river water, and deep water. These classifications are quite systematic and do not deviate significantly from modern hydrology.
The way the ancients described geography had a certain quantitative thinking. For example, it is recorded in "Chu Ci Tianwen": "East, west, north and south, its cultivation is more, north and south are smooth, and its derivation geometry? The "Classic of Mountains and Seas" describes the size of heaven and earth as 28,000 miles from east to west and 26,000 miles from north to south.
In addition, the ancients also discovered various relationships and laws between phenomena. For example, there are nearly 170 proverbs in the Book of Xiangyu, written during the Tang Dynasty, which describe weather conditions according to phenomena such as halo, rainbow, thunder and lightning, and fog. The ancients also discovered the connection between tides and lunar activity, and with the help of the "Four Seasons Tide Map", they can calculate and find the correspondence between the two.
Wang Qianjin said: There is another valuable feature of ancient Chinese geography, that is, academic criticism. For example, Pei Xiu criticized the drawings of his predecessors in the "Map of the Territory of Yugong", "although there are rough shapes, they have not been examined and cannot be relied on". Li Daoyuan said in the "Notes on the Book of Water": "In the past, the "Dayu Ji" wrote about mountains and seas, and it was not prepared; The records of the "Geographical Chronicles" are concise and inthorough; "Shangshu", "Benji" and "Staff" are all omitted, all of which are described, and the judgment is not declared; Although the "Book of Water" is coarse, it is also bypassed. These academic criticisms have contributed to the progress of geography.
It plays an important role in the national economy and people's livelihood.
The knowledge of geography played a huge supporting role in the various activities of the ancients. Wang Qianjin refers to these functions as the social functions of geography. In specific national governance, geography is the basis for the division of political boundaries and the formulation of levels. Some scholars have concluded that the two principles of the demarcation of political regions in ancient China are "mountains and rivers form convenience" and "dogs and teeth are intertwined". Among them, "mountains and rivers form convenience" refers to the formulation of political boundaries according to geographical conditions. The names of Shandong, Shanxi, Henan, Hebei and other places are a direct manifestation of the important role played by geography in the division of political regions.
Geography also plays an important role in the national economy and people's livelihood. Meteorology is an important branch of geographical science. Agricultural production is inseparable from meteorological observations. Climate observation institutions were established very early in ancient China. The "Eighteen Kinds of Qin Law" stipulates that the relevant agencies must report the rainfall to **. China's No. 1 Historical Archives and the Forbidden City treasure many rain memorabilia from the Ming and Qing dynasties. The ancients also actively studied the nature and laws of soil and monsoons, and applied this knowledge to the construction of water conservancy projects and agricultural production. In addition, the ancient Chinese actively absorbed foreign geographical knowledge and scientific concepts, and by the Ming and Qing dynasties, they were able to draw a map of the world that was relatively close to reality.
Wang Qianjin said that due to the limitations of the times and social conditions, ancient geography also has many limitations. For example, there are fewer professional scholars and more amateur scholars; There is more personal travel and less scientific exploration; More technical, less theoretical; There are more descriptions of superficial phenomena and less deep exploration; There are more studies on the surface of the earth, and less research on the deep underground. Of course, these limitations cannot erase the brilliant achievements of ancient Chinese geography, nor can they hide the outstanding contributions of Chinese to world geography. (Science and Technology**) Editor: Tian Boqun].