ESHS/HSS Annual Meeting

The Evolution of Science and Technology in China: Tradition and Modernity in a Global Perspective 1

Session Submission Type: Organized Session

English Abstract

This symposium convenes scholars to explore the dynamic interplay between local development and global exchanges throughout China’s scientific and technological history. The presentations span a broad chronological scope and embrace diverse themes—ranging from ancient material processing, Chinese bronze chime bells and chariot systems in comparative perspective, to traditional architectural techniques and knowledge transmission along the Silk Road. Modern and contemporary case studies examine pivotal developments such as the invention of the finite element method, wartime scientific mobilization, the transnational transfer of V-2 rocket technology and pressurized water reactor (PWR) technology, as well as breakthroughs in non-accelerator high-energy physics at the Reactor Neutrino Experiment. Further analyses investigate the rapid rise of China’s neodymium iron boron magnet industry, the cultivation of basic science talent, and historical priority disputes in biology. These contributions illustrate the complex factors--local adaptation, international collaboration, resource mobilization, and theoretical innovation--that have shaped China’s unique pathway in the global history of science and technology, which will be a crucial promotion of the simplistic narratives of origin and emphasizing processes of adaptation and transformation.

Sub Unit

• Organized Session

Chair

• Danian Hu, Southern University of Science and Technology

Individual Presentations

• Bronze Bells and the Sounds of Order: Technological Innovation, Ritual Governance, and Acoustic Knowledge in Ancient China - Xiaowu Guan, Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences

• Discussion and Reflection on Traces (靷绳Yin) in China and Italy - Moxuan Zhou, Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences

• The Dynamics Behind the Emergence and Development of Traditional Chinese Architectural Techniques - Haolin Wang, Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, CAS

• A Brief Discussion on the Composition and Evolution of Ancient Inorganic Material Processing Technologies - Xing Huang

Session Organizer

• Xiaowu Guan, Institute for the History of Natural Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences