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Chapter 294 Open your eyes and see the number one person in the world

Seeing each scientist mentioned by the anchor, the most nervous one was Xu Guangqi.

After all, he has also made considerable achievements in the field of science, so he naturally hopes to spread his fame to the world with the help of the anchor's reputation.

And he feels that his chances are very good, and the reason is very simple.

Before the fall of the Qing Dynasty, science was not taken seriously by the world.

Because of this, there were very few people engaged in scientific research in ancient China, let alone made some major achievements.

And he is precisely one of the few people who believe in science, and he has also made outstanding achievements in science.

Therefore, he guessed that the anchor was very likely to mention himself.

In fact, just as Xu Guangqi guessed, the next scientist Su Chen introduced was Xu Guangqi.

Chinese civilization has a history of 5,000 years, and its four great inventions make the Chinese people even more proud.

However, during the Ming and Qing Dynasties, they regarded themselves as the Celestial Kingdom and then settled on their own status.

In fact, China at that time was already far behind the West in terms of mathematics, astronomy, calendar, firearms, military, etc.

At that time, there was the first person in China who opened his eyes to see the world. He was Xu Guangqi, a famous scientist in the late Ming Dynasty.

In the Eastern world, which was widely infiltrated by Confucianism, Taoism and Buddhism in the late Ming Dynasty, it was a miracle that a scholar-official with a tendency to modern natural sciences appeared.

The emergence of Xu Guangqi certainly benefited from the cultural integration of the times, but at the same time there were three indispensable conditions.

First, a strong interest in natural things.

The second is to treat foreign cultures with equal respect and tolerance.

The third is to actively explore the origin of things.

With these three conditions, Xu Guangqi, a Confucian scholar-official, became Xu Guangqi who believed in science.

To mention scientists in ancient China, we have to mention Xu Guangqi, the cabinet scholar of the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Guangqi's outstanding contributions to science still influence generations of Chinese people today.

It is precisely because of this that the origin of the name Xujiahui in Shanghai is inseparable from Xu Guangqi.

"Xu Guangqi was born into a poor family in Songjiang Prefecture in the 41st year of Jiajing reign in the Ming Dynasty."

"My father is a small businessman. The family has a little land, but his life is not well-off."

"So Xu Guangqi has been engaged in agricultural production since he was a child, which had a great impact on his subsequent growth."

"Xu Guangqi entered the county school when he was about 20 years old and became a student member."

"When I was 35 years old, I returned to my hometown and took part in the provincial examination. I won the first place in the provincial examination and won the title of Xie Yuan."

"At the age of 42, he went to Beijing to take the central-level examination and won the Jinshi. Later, he became a minor official in the Hanlin Academy."

"Due to the corruption of the imperial court at that time, Xu Guangqi was very frustrated politically."

"During the Tianqi years, which lasted only seven years, Xu Guangqi was in and out of court three times, although he achieved the official position of right minister of the Ministry of Rites."

"But when traitors were in power, he accomplished nothing and eventually resigned and went home."

"This gives Xu Guangqi more time to devote himself to scientific research."

"From Wanli to the Apocalypse, the Italian missionary Matteo Ricci lived in Beijing."

"During this period, Xu Guangqi and Matteo Ricci had close contacts."

"The two studied mathematics, astronomy, calendar, geography, water conservancy and other subjects together."

"The two collaborated and translated many scientific works, including "Elements of Geometry", "The Theory of Measurement" and so on."

"Thus, Xu Guangqi became a pioneer in introducing Western scientific achievements to China."

"In 1629, after Emperor Chongzhen succeeded to the throne, he appointed Xu Guangqi to be responsible for rebuilding the calendar."

"It only took four years for Xu Guangqi to compile the "Chongzhen Calendar."

"This book has more than 130 volumes in total, although it was written collectively."

"But as the editor-in-chief, Xu Guangqi planned and decided everything from thinking methods to editing styles, and most of the book was revised and approved by him."

"At the same time, this book is a major reform of the Chinese calendar."

Li Hongzhang: The greatest achievement of Xu Guangqi's administration should be the compilation of the "Chongzhen Almanac".

Throughout Xu Guangqi's life, the most useful achievement for the Qing Dynasty was the "Chongzhen Almanac".

Because the Qin Tian Jian's prediction of the solar eclipse was inaccurate, Emperor Chongzhen recalled Xu Guangqi, a retired official from the Three Dynasties, and asked him to preside over the calendar reform.

70-year-old Xu Guangqi participated in various surveying and compilation work with high enthusiasm, and a large number of young officials served as assistants.

Due to excessive concentration, Xu Guangqi accidentally fell off the observatory and injured his waist.

Finally, Huangtian paid off, and this almanac, guided by Western celestial theory, was finally completed.

Chongzhen was the last emperor of the Ming Dynasty. The country was in dire straits, so he recalled an important minister just for an almanac.

And this almanac, which could neither fight nor save refugees, became Xu Guangqi's greatest political achievement.

The reason for this is that the astronomical calendar plays an unusually important role in traditional Chinese politics.

Both Chongzhen and Xu Guangqi regarded it as a major political task.

Therefore, after the almanac was compiled, Emperor Chongzhen asked the ministers to fully discuss it, and it was not promulgated until the fall of the Ming Dynasty.

After the Qing Dynasty took over the Central Plains, Emperor Shunzhi also thought that this almanac was very good, so he directly changed its name and issued it to the world.

It is worth mentioning that when Xu Guangqi passed away with the distinguished status of Minister of Rites, Bachelor of Wenyuan Pavilion and Prince Taibao, he was forced to ask for pension from the court because his family had no money.

In the era of corruption in the late Ming Dynasty, Xu Guangqi, who was an honest official, was undoubtedly an alternative.

This aspect especially made him admire him. There were very few people in the late Ming Dynasty who could do this.

"Xu Guangqi used his profound knowledge of Chinese and Western astronomy to learn from each other's strengths and refer to each other, breaking through the traditional scope."

"It brings the scientific nature of the calendar to a new height and takes a valuable step towards modern astronomy and mathematics."

"Xu Guangqi wrote a lot in his life. In addition to translations, he also had many academic works on natural science."

"However, what Xu Guangqi devoted his most to was the research and summary of traditional agricultural science and technology."

"Xu Guangqi spent decades collecting materials, analyzing and researching, and wrote a scientific and technological work called the Encyclopedia of Agriculture - "The Encyclopedia of Agriculture".

"Compared with other agricultural books, the most prominent feature of this book is agricultural politics, which is why this book is named "The Complete Book of Agriculture".

"This book covers land reclamation, planting, farming, water conservancy, agricultural equipment manufacturing, arboriculture, animal husbandry, all the way to pest control and famine management. It is a true encyclopedia of agriculture."

"The Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs absorbs a large amount of agricultural writings from past dynasties in my country, as well as Xu Guangqi's own writings."

"The relevant information is not just copied, but behind each article there are his own insights, comments or actual verification."

"The newly added parts by Xu Guangqi were all written after his long-term observation and research and personal experiments. The special discussions in the book are of high scientific value."

"Xu Guangqi has also made great achievements in mathematics, astronomy, calendar, biology, etc., and is an outstanding scientist in the history of science in our country."

"In December 1633, Xu Guangqi died of illness in his apartment in Beijing at the age of 12."

Zhang Zhidong: Putting aside his official career, Xu Guangqi is essentially a scientific genius.

He was a scholar at the age of 19, a scholar at the age of 35, and a Jinshi at the age of 42. Xu Guangqi was busy with the imperial examination for too long.

However, the long years of rushing for exams and busy administrative work did not affect Xu Guangqi's scientific research career.

The "Encyclopedia of Agricultural Policy" was published as scheduled, and Xu Guangqi became an encyclopedic scientist in Chinese history.

It should be said that this benefited from Xu Guangqi's childhood and his missionary friends.

Xu Guangqi, who was born at the bottom of society, has experienced the hard work of farming and weaving since he was a child.

Xu Guangqi often went to the fields to help his father with farm work. He also learned techniques from other veteran farmers and pruned cotton knots, and his output increased a lot compared to the original.

His little childish heart was inspired, and his interest in natural science had already sprouted.

Later, he met the missionary Matteo Ricci, and Xu Guangqi deeply realized the positive significance of Western technology in enriching the country and strengthening the military.

So he gave up poetry and songs, regained his childhood hobbies, and became proficient in astronomy, geography, water conservancy surveying and mapping and other fields.

Xu Guangqi’s contribution to science and technology should start with a sweet potato.

The year my father died, there was a flood in the south of the Yangtze River, and all the farmland was flooded.

Xu Guangqi, who was already a high official in the imperial court, went home to observe his filial piety and was very worried.

If other crops are not replanted in time, there will definitely be a famine in the coming year.

At this time, a friend mentioned that a high-yielding crop, sweet potato, had been introduced from foreign countries in Fujian and was very easy to survive.

Xu Guangqi had an idea and immediately asked his friends to bring some seedlings to open up wasteland and try planting them. As expected, the harvest was good.

So Xu Guangqi compiled his planting experience into a booklet and sent it to his fellow villagers.

As a result, sweet potatoes, which were originally only grown along the coast of Fujian, were promoted in Jiangsu and Zhejiang.

A few years later, in early winter, Xu Guangqi, who had returned to the court shortly after observing filial piety, had political disagreements with his ministers.

In anger, he reported his illness and went to Tianjin to live idle and continue to experiment with growing sweet potatoes.

Xu Guangqi used cellar insulation technology to successfully introduce this high-yielding crop variety to the cold north, and the cellar storage method is still used in the north today.

When Xu Guangqi was in Tianjin, he saw that the local agricultural cultivation level was not high, which led to a shortage of military food supply and difficulties in people's lives.

So he tried to find ways to open canals to grow rice in the two counties and conduct various agricultural experiments. The official life was peaceful for a few years, and soon the eunuch Wei Zhongxian became powerful.

Xu Guangqi refused to follow the trend, was impeached, and retired again.

This time, Xu Guangqi simply returned to Shanghai and systematically expanded, reviewed, approved, and compiled the agricultural data accumulated over many years. This is the famous "Agricultural Policy Complete Book".

When he thought of Xu Guangqi's achievements in science, he couldn't help but feel deeply regretful.

Xu Guangqi is a rare scientist in Chinese history and has translated a large number of Western scientific works.

In Xu Guangqi's time, the scientific achievements of China and the West were almost the same, and the two were still on the same starting line.

But then the Qing Dynasty took over the Central Plains and completely shelved science, so that the Qing Dynasty completely lagged behind the pace of the West.

He sometimes couldn't help feeling that if the Qing Dynasty had valued Xu Guangqi's scientific achievements when it was founded, it might not be bullied by Western powers now.

"The Ming Dynasty had a total of 277 years, and there were only eighty if not hundreds of people who had served in the cabinet and held prime ministerial power."

"But in these 277 years, there was only one scientist who took an English name, became a Catholic, and wrote a "Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs"."

"Just pick up any mathematics book. Points, lines, planes, right angles, quadrilaterals... these terms are all translated by Xu Guangqi."

"In this sense, Xu Guangqi has influenced history for four hundred years and is destined to influence more Chinese people from generation to generation."

"In terms of environment, Songjiang Prefecture in the Ming Dynasty was a small place, and it was not the same weight as the international metropolis hundreds of years later."

"In terms of background, Xu Guangqi's family background was not good. His parents were farmers, so they expected him to shine through his studies."

"With such a background, how did Xu Guangqi get the opportunity to get to know the missionary class and get in touch with the most cutting-edge sparks of the collision of Chinese and Western ideas."

"Speaking of this, I have to talk about applying for a job."

"In the 31st year of Wanli, Xu Guangqi, who was 12 years old and had years of teaching experience, was hired to teach in Shaozhou, Guangdong."

"My hometown has suffered from natural disasters for many years, and I have repeatedly failed in scientific examinations."

"Xu Guangqi changed his mind and traveled far to make a living."

"This trip south became a turning point in Xu Guangqi's destiny."

"Guangdong in the Ming Dynasty was a coastal trading place with many international friends."

"It was here that Mr. Xu Guangqi, a teacher in Shaozhou, met his first missionary friend, the Italian missionary Guo Jujing."

"The significance of the acquaintance of these two people to the history of Chinese science is inestimable."

"Xu Guangqi learned about Western scientific knowledge from Guo Jujing. This was such an enlightening impact."

"You can imagine how shocked Xu Guangqi was when he faced astronomy, mathematics, surveying, weapons manufacturing, etc."

"So, Xu Guangqi made a prompt decision and invited Guo Jujing to preach in his hometown."

"It is not polite to come and go, and Catholicism also opened the door to Mr. Xu, who is studious and hospitable."

"When Xu Guangqi was 38 years old, he finally met the missionary Matteo Ricci on his way to Beijing to take the exam."

"Xu Guangqi's love for Western learning undoubtedly benefited from his friends."

“At that time, in the late Ming Dynasty, overseas trade was developing rapidly and social thought was diversified.”

"But the politics are declining day by day, the Jurchen army is pressing forward step by step, and the beacon of peasant uprising is burning."

"Xu Guangqi deeply felt that only by paying attention to peasants and soldiers and advocating practice can the weak breathing of the Ming Dynasty be prolonged."

Cai Yuanpei: It is a pity that the last opportunity for recovery given by history to the Ming Dynasty was not seized by the Ming Dynasty.

Xu Guangqi's scientific achievements are far more than "The Complete Book of Agricultural Affairs", and it is not only the "Chongzhen Almanac" that has benefited future generations.

Xu Guangqi's talent for translation and the Chinese version of "Elements of Geometry" have benefited generations of Chinese descendants.

Not long after Xu Guangqi passed the Jinshi examination, he once visited Matteo Ricci.

Matteo Ricci talked about the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid who had a Latin work called "Elements of Geometry".

It has a profound influence in Europe, but unfortunately it is difficult to translate into Chinese.

Seeing that there was such a good book, Xu Guangqi immediately said that no matter how difficult it was, he would translate it into Chinese.

In the following more than a year, Xu Guangqi rushed to Matteo Ricci as soon as he left the Hanlin Academy.

Narrated by Matteo Ricci and translated by Xu Guangqi.

This is an unprecedented attempt. The translation was created from scratch, all thanks to Xu Guangqi's understanding and creation.

Incredibly, many of Xu Guangqi's translations are quite appropriate.

Points, lines, straight lines, curves, parallel lines, angles, right angles, acute angles, obtuse angles, triangles, quadrilaterals...the terms that are familiar in mathematics textbooks today were all formulated by Xu Guangqi three hundred years ago.

It took one year to translate and publish six volumes of "Elements of Geometry".

Xu Guangqi stroked the book and lamented that this glorious mathematical work will surely become a must-read book for students all over the world in the next hundred years, but by then I am afraid it will be too late.

It's a pity that history is sadder than Xu Guangqi expected.

When the Ming Dynasty fell, the Qing Dynasty was established, and power changed, science was once again relegated to the sidelines.

Not only has the second half of the book been unable to be translated, but even the first half, which Xu Guangqi has translated, is no longer being published.

It was not until the late Qing Dynasty when the imperial examination was abolished and new schools were established that geometry became a required course for students.

This is nearly two hundred years later than the century-old sigh inspired by Xu Guangqi.

"In the Ming Dynasty, when there was no prime minister, the cabinet bachelor, commonly known as Ge Lao, actually held the power of the prime minister."

"It doesn't matter if the name is changed. The power of the prime minister cannot be changed without changing the medicine."

"It is indeed not easy for Xu Guangqi, a young man from a poor family in Songjiang, to sit in this seat."

"The first step was for 19-year-old Xu Guangqi to pass the examination as a scholar."

"So I got rid of the fate of farming and could make a living by teaching in a private school."

"He taught this class for 16 years until he met a mentor who appreciated him."

"Xu Guangqicai's fortune turned around. He won the Huiyuan and took the second step."

"By the time Xu Guangqi was admitted to Emperor Wanli's imperial examination, he was already 42 years old."

"At this point, the trilogy of becoming an official is finally complete."

"After Xu Guangqi arrived in Beijing, he first set up an outpost in the Hanlin Academy, and then took up a post in the Ministry of Rites."

"From Wanli, Taichang, Tianqi to Chongzhen, emperors kept changing."

"Xu Guangqi's official performance was not smooth, with three ups and downs."

"But technical official Xu Guangqi, as long as he is in office, there will be less red tape and he can roll up his sleeves and work hard."

"Xu Guangqi's purpose is only one. If you want to care about the national economy and people's livelihood, you must focus on both agriculture and the military."

"While Xu Guangqi read military books and practiced martial arts, he introduced and imitated Hongyi cannons, trained firearms battalions, and strengthened the capital's alert and drills."

"While he was busy building water conservancy and technological inventions, he opened up paddy fields in Tianjin, reformed military villages, and promoted high-yielding crops."

"These technical matters do not trouble Xu Guangqi at all."

"The unorthodox Western technologies such as hydrology, geography, surveying and mapping, and weapons manufacturing have finally come in handy."

"Although these cannot bring the dying Ming Dynasty back to life, at least they are quite beneficial to the lives of the people and the defense of the army."

Liang Qichao: Xu Guangqi devoted his life to the research of mathematics, astronomy, calendar, firearms, military, water conservancy and other fields. He can be said to have learned both Chinese and Western knowledge.

In the 21st year of Wanli, Xu Guangqi first came into contact with the Western missionary Guo Jujing in Shaozhou.

From Guo Jujing, Xu Guangqi saw a world map for the first time, and knew for the first time that there was such a big world outside the Ming Empire.

It was the first time I knew that the earth was round, and the first time I heard that Magellan circumnavigated the earth in a boat.

It was the first time I heard that Galileo built an astronomical telescope, which could clearly observe the movement of stars in the sky.

All of this was unheard of to Xu Guangqi. After all, the Chinese at that time still believed that the sky was round and the earth was round.

From then on, Xu Guangqi began to study Western natural sciences such as mathematics, astronomy, and calendars, and study Western firearms and military technology.

Although Xu Guangqi was proficient in advanced Western technologies such as mathematics, astronomy, calendar, firearms, and military affairs, and had a good knowledge of both China and the West, he was ill-fated.

At that time, the Ming Empire was defeated again and again in the confrontation with the elite Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty. Xu Guangqi's ten suggestions for resisting the Qing troops were not adopted by the emperor.

He wrote several times requesting to train in the army to serve the country, but his colleagues also tried to undermine him.

After Emperor Taichang ascended the throne, Liaoyang was conquered by the elite soldiers of the Eight Banners.

Emperor Taichang commissioned Xu Guangqi. Xu Guangqi, who returned to the court, proposed casting Western cannons, but was impeached by the Minister of War and lost his official position.

In the third year of the Apocalypse, Xu Guangqi was re-employed again and served as the right minister of the Ministry of Rites.

But just one year later, in the fifth year of Tianqi, he was impeached by Wei Zhongxian, and Xu Guangqi was forced to resign and go into seclusion again.

In the fifth year of Chongzhen, Emperor Chongzhen appointed Xu Guangqi as the Minister of Rites and the Bachelor of Dongge, and he joined the cabinet to participate in confidential affairs.

However, Xu Guangqi was already seventy years old at this time and died the next year.

Although Xu Guangqi had the talent to govern the country and his ambition to be loyal to the emperor and serve the country, he was born at the wrong time.

From the time when Xu Guangqi studied hard for ten years and was trusted to take power, he was already about to pass away, which made people sigh with regret.

Xu Guangqi devoted himself to his responsibilities, worked hard and died, writing a glorious page in the history of Chinese science.

(End of this chapter)