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New instruments for new astronomy: the reform movement in early 17th century China
Wed, July 15, 9:15 to 10:45am, Edinburgh Futures Institute, 1.60English Abstract
In imperial China, an important state responsibility was to produce an annual luni-solar calendar containing detailed and accurate astronomical information, as well as predicting the details of forthcoming solar and lunar eclipses. To enable this to be done, the state Astronomical Bureau, staffed by salaried officials, relied on documents called li 曆 ‘[astronomical] systems’ in which were codified complex instructions for carrying out astronomical calculations, together with tables of astronomical data. It was normal for such astronomical systems to be revised from time to time in order to maintain an acceptable level of accuracy in their predictions. Exceptionally, the system in use in the late Ming dynasty around 1600 had not been substantially revised since 1280, despite a few small adjustments and a change of name in 1384. The reduced accuracy of its predictions led to increasing pressure to revise the system. Associated with this was the suggestion that the European astronomical techniques recently brought to China by Jesuit missionaries might be ‘melted into the mould of [the Chinese] system’ in order to produce an improved li. Eventually it was decided to set up a new institution, the ‘astronomical system office’ li ju 曆局 to test and promote the use of European techniques. As part of this innovation, a number of new instruments were constructed and used in the li ju. Since this institution generated a copious archive of memorials and reports, we can trace the process of planning and budgeting that underlay this project in some detail. This enables us to understand the role that instrumentation played in the establishment of a new astronomical observatory and centre of calculation that was to remain active after the end of the Ming dynasty in 1644.