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 to have been written by Li Chunfeng, one of the most important mathematicians, astronomers, and astrologers in Chinese history.

The book not only opens a new window on the figure of Li Chunfeng by exploring what his writings as a historian of science tell us about him as a scientist and vice versa, it also discusses how and on what basis the individual treatises were written.

The essays address such themes as (1) the recycling of sources and the question of reliability and objectivity in premodern history-writing; (2) the tug of war between conservatism and innovation; (3) the imposition of the author's voice, worldview, and personal and professional history in writing a history of a field of technical expertise in a state history; (4) the degree to which modern historians are compelled to speak to their own milieu and ideological beliefs.

Examines the role of medieval authors in writing the history of ancient science Presents the content, the structure, and the ideas behind the technical treatises of a medieval Chinese state history Discusses particular knowledge areas in China such as astronomy, mathematics, geography, bibliography, law and economics

Autorentext

Daniel Patrick Morgan is a researcher in the Laboratory SPHere (Sciences - Philosophie - Histoire) at the French Centre national de la recherche scientifique and Université Paris Diderot / Panthéon Sorbonne, where he works on the history of the astral and mathematical sciences, sport, religion, historiography, classical studies, etc., in early imperial China. His recent book Astral Sciences in Early Imperial China: Observation, Sagehood and the Individual (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017) explores similar issues surrounding Li Chunfeng (602-670) and the medieval historiography of ancient science. This is not what he thought that he would be doing when he grew up.
Damien Chaussende is a researcher in the Centre de recherche sur les civilisations de l'Asie orientale (Paris, France) at the French Centre national de la recherche scientifique. He works on the history of classical China, especially in the field of the writing of history. He publishedhis first book entitled Des Trois royaumes aux Jin : Légitimation du pouvoir impérial en Chine au IIIe siècle in 2010 (Paris, Les Belles Lettres), and translated from Chinese the inner chapters of Liu Zhiji's Shitong (Traité de l'historien parfait. Chapitres intérieurs, texte présenté, traduit et annoté par D. Chaussende, Paris: Les Belles Lettres, 2014).

Inhalt
Chapter 1. Prologue (Daniel P. Morgan and Damien Chaussende).- Part I: The Work of Li Chunfeng.- Chapter 2. The Life and Intellectual Work of Li Chunfeng (602670) (Howard L. Goodman).- Chapter 3. Numbers with Histories: Li Chunfeng on Harmonics and Astronomy (Daniel P. Morgan and Howard L. Goodman).- Chapter 4. Scholarship and Politics in Seventh Century China from the Viewpoint of Li Chunfeng's Writing on Histories (Zhu Yiwen).- Chapter 5. The Compilation of the Astronomical Portion of the 'Treatise on Harmono-Metrology and Mathematical Astronomy' and its Impact (Li Liang).- Chapter 6. Heavenly Patterns (Daniel P. Morgan).- Chapter 7. The 'Treatise on the Wuxing' (Wuxing zhi) (Michael Nylan).- Part II : The Anonymous Treatises.- Chapter 8. The Treatise on Economics and Its Influences (Béatrice L'Haridon).- Chapter 9. The Treatise on Law (Frédéric Constant).- Chapter 10. Intertextuality, Customs and Regionalism in the 'Geographical Treatise' (Alexis Lycas).- Chapter 11. TheArt of Producing a Catalogue: the Meaning of 'Compilations' for the Organisation of Ancient Knowledge in Tang Times (Pablo Ariel Blitstein).- Chapter 12. Epilogue: Treatises According to Tang Historian Liu Zhiji (Damien Chaussende).