Astronomy and Mathematics in Ancient China: The 'Zhou Bi Suan Jing' (Needham Research Institute Studies) Review

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(More customer reviews)Don't let the title fool you. This is not just about China, this is about the human condition. Someone with an imagination should have worked on the title and given it a bit more excitement. I almost skipped reading the book because the title seemed so dry.
I read this book twice and will probably read it, again. The author's presentation is simply masterful. Step by step, he recreates the setting and background for the book's creation and utilization. In fact, he walks the reader through about 2000 years of 'uses' that people found for the book. According to Cullen, this classic was probably a gift to a Chinese emperor and then dumped in a back room for 200 years. It was only when political circumstances changed and an 'old' book might be valuable that it was 'rediscovered' and rendered useful.
For anyone interested in the practice of ancient astronomy, Cullen goes into great detail on the tools and practice of Chinese astronomers from about 3000 BC to the arrival of Jesuits in 1600. For anyone interested in Chinese political history, Cullen explores imperial Chinese history in a way that simply makes one want to read much, much more. For anyone interested in ancient Chinese record keeping, Cullen offers practical advice on what to make of the 'documents' we moderns discover.
I hope they make this a paperback so that it can get wider circulation. What is commonly called 'the history of math' is often embarrassingly western (ethno-centric). This book offers a means of correcting that unfortunate state of affairs.

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The Power of Stars: How Celestial Observations Have Shaped Civilization Review

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(More customer reviews)The author's passion for astronomy, astrophysics and cosmology is evident throughout. And it is a beautiful book: illustrations and photographs decorate almost every page.
The book begins with what people can see in the sky unaided by telescopes. Penprase describes the movements of the moon, sun, planets and stars, and provides some excellent suggestions for home observations. This serves as the foundation for a survey of cosmology from around the world. Penprase weaves astronomy with anthropology to provide an entertaining overview of Indian, Chinese, Mayan, Incan, native American, Persian and European cosmologies.
From ancient cosmology, Penprase jumps to modern, scientific cosmology, starting with the history of time-keeping devices and observational instruments like telescopes. He provides brief biographies of the key figures who built modern astronomy and astrophysics, including Edwin Hubble and George Ellery Hale.
Finally, Penprase provides a census of the modern universe: stars, star clusters, normal galaxies, irregular galaxies and galaxy clusters. It leads into a discussion of dark matter and dark energy, and a brief history of the universe.
Penprase has written a very entertaining book without compromising or diluting technical details. Highly recommended!
Jeff Knowlton


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Chinese Mythology: An Introduction Review

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(More customer reviews)Anyone without a knowledge of Chinese who has tried to find out much about the myths and legends of early China -- as opposed to the abundant material from medieval and later times -- has certainly encountered many obstacles. Mythical and heroic narratives from before the Han Dynasty are rare, often incomplete, and usually frustratingly allusive; and often are not narratives, but applications of parts of presumably well-known stories to illustrate a point. And they usually have survived in a form considered "rational" by generations of Confucian editors.
There have been a few useful, but all-too-brief, presentations by qualified Sinologists, notably Derk Bodde. Other serious discussions by qualified Western scholars, however, often bog down in discussions of textual problems, the age and authority of sources, and other important issues, without ever explaining what a story is about.
For this reason alone, Anne M. Birrell's "Chinese Mythology: An Introduction" is welcome. Actual translations of texts are provided, with useful discussions and annotations intelligible to non-Sinologists like this reader. In addition, the author/translator/editor writes with grace and clarity. One comes away feeling that the confusing nature of the source has not been amplified by the presentation, and that the cultural issues they seem to address have been identified with reasonable certainty.
It is also an extremely interesting book, usually offering several versions of each of the stories, illustrating the various ways they have been told, and their persistence in Chinese culture. They are grouped thematically, and a myth which contains a variety of themes usually gets one major treatment, and relatively abbreviated consideration under other headings. A few get treated from different perspectives at somewhat greater length. Some readers will probably object to flipping back and forth, but the alternative was considerable repetition, which Birrell has gracefully avoided.
As a result of reading this book with the attention it inspires, I have actually been able to appreciate the depth of learning and insight concealed in some of the earlier scholarship (such as that of Bernhard Karlgren and Wolfram Eberhard). Anne Birrell has also been responsible for some attractive translations of interesting, but so far obscure, Chinese literature, and this reader hopes to see more of them.
This book should not be confused with Anne Birrell's short illustrated volume on "Chinese Myths," for the British Museum's "Legendary Past" series.
(Reposted from my "anonymous" review of September 12, 2003.)

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Great Ancient China Projects You Can Build Yourself (Build It Yourself series) Review

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(More customer reviews)This is a very thorough and unbiased book for teaching ancient China with the added bonus of hands on activities to reinforce the concepts. This book can be integrated into every subject.
Here's what is covered:
Timeline from Shang Dynasty to Mung Dynasty (1600 BCE-1644 CE) with highlights from each time period
Intro
Ch. 1 Cities and Architecture includes the Great Wall
Projects: mini-yurt and feng shui house
Chapter 2 Paper
Project: make your own paper
Chapter 3 Writing and Education includes Confucius
Projects: movable type and making your own ink from berries
Chapter 4 Warriors and Weapons
Projects: terracotta army including how to make an animation of them and kite
Chapter 5 Jade and Silk
Project: jade bi jewelry
Chapter 6 Merchants and Trade includes the Silk Road
Projects: suspension bridge and relief map
Chapter 7 Explorers and Sailing includes Zheng He
Projects: compass and Chinese junk
Chapter 8 Healers and Medicine includes acupuncture
Project: learn T'ai Ch'i
Chapter 9 Farming includes wheelbarrow and trace harness
Project: bronze foundry
Chapter 10 Food includes fortune cookies and tea ceremony
Projects: moon cakes, egg noodles, tea and ice cream
Chapter 11 Time and Space includes Chinese calendar and Su Song's water clock
No projects in this chapter
Chapter 12 Music includes bells, orchestras and theater
Projects:Chinese string instrument and puppet
Chapter 13 Chang Heng's Seismograph
Project: seismograph
Chapter 14 Numbers includes decimals and negative numbers
Projects:abacus, tangrams and paper snowflakes

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From Buddhism, feng shui, and porcelain pottery to gunpowder, dynasties, and trade routes, this interactive activity guide explores the incredible ingenuity and history of ancient China with more than 20 hands-on projects. Comprehensive coverage of the ancient culture-everything from the daily lives of both the rich and poor to the history of architecture, dynasties, religion, trade, and science-are combined with step-by-step instructions for creating Chinese inventions with ordinary household materials. Key vocabulary, time lines, and factual sidebars are included to further educate young readers about this innovative society and its continuing influence on modern culture.

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