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Chapter 295 "Heavenly Creation"

Among all dynasties, the Ming Dynasty was the most prosperous in natural science.

The great scientist who appeared in the Ming Dynasty was not only Xu Guangqi, but also Song Yingxing, who was well-known to the world for his "Tiangong Kaiwu".

Song Yingxing emphasized practical learning throughout his life, and his writings and research fields covered many disciplines of natural sciences and humanities.

Among them, the most outstanding work "Tiangong Kaiwu" is known as the encyclopedia of Chinese crafts in the 17th century.

At the same time, "Tiangong Kaiwu" is also China's first comprehensive scientific work on agriculture and handicraft production.

"Song Yingxing was born in Fengxin County, Nanchang Prefecture, Jiangxi Province in the 15th year of Wanli in the Ming Dynasty."

"His great-grandfather Song Jing once served as minister of Guanglu Temple in Nanjing, minister of the Ministry of Industry and other high officials."

"Song Jing's third son, Song Chengqing, is a county school student, that is, a student who is provided with a meal allowance by the government."

"But Song Chengqing died at the age of twenty-six, leaving behind a son, Song Guolin, who is Song Yingxing's father."

"Song Guolin was quite frustrated in the imperial examination. He never held a decent official position, and his family gradually declined. Song Yingxing was born in such a family."

"Song Guolin was strict with his son Song Yingxing and taught him to read and write at a very young age."

"Song Yingxing was also very studious when he was a child, and he was smart and memorized. He was able to compose poems at just a few years old, and he was very popular among his elders."

"A little older, Song Yingxing was admitted to the county school."

"In county school, in addition to familiarizing yourself with Confucian classics such as the Four Books and Five Classics to complete the necessary coursework for the imperial examination."

"Song Yingxing also read historical books such as Zuozhuan, Guoyu, and Shiji, as well as books on various schools of thought, literature, physical geography, agricultural technology, etc."

"This expands the scope of knowledge and makes me different from those nerds who chew on stereotyped articles."

"In addition, Song Yingxing is also very interested in astronomy, acoustics, agriculture and craft manufacturing, and is familiar with Li Shizhen's "Compendium of Materia Medica" and other books."

"Moreover, Song Yingxing also likes music and poetry."

"I often go on outings to scenic spots in the county with my classmates and friends to encourage each other and talk about world affairs."

"It should be said that Song Yingxing had already become a knowledgeable man in his youth, with his own ideals and ambitions."

"In terms of personality and behavior, Song Yingxing does not want to flatter powerful people and celebrities."

"And I like to associate with people who are upright and upright, not associated with the world, who are diligent in writing and who love reading."

"In the forty-third year of Wanli, Song Yingxing and his eldest brother Song Yingsheng participated in the Jiangxi Provincial Examination together."

"Among more than 10,000 candidates, Song Yingxing ranked third in the province, and his brother Song Yingsheng ranked sixth."

"Among all the students in Fengxin County, only their brothers passed the examination, so they are called Fengxin Second Song Dynasty."

"In the winter of the same year, the two brothers left their hometown in high spirits and came to the capital to take part in the examination the following year, but they failed."

"It was later learned that there was serious fraud in this exam. How could this not be outrageous?"

Liang Qichao: After Song Yingxing realized the corruption of the imperial examination system, he gave up completely.

In order to maintain their rule, the rulers of the Ming Dynasty exercised strict ideological control.

Adopting a policy of obscuring the people, vigorously promoting Zheng-Zhu Neo-Confucianism, and pursuing a corrupt imperial examination system.

It was stipulated that Confucianism should be the ruling ideology of the country, and the annotations and explanations of the classics by the Neo-Confucian master Zhu Xi should be used as a model.

The "Four Books" and "Five Classics" are not only the textbooks that scholars must learn, but also the proposition content of the imperial examination.

Song Yingxing was born in the Wanli period of the Ming Dynasty, when the imperial examination system was still prevalent.

Most scholars aspire to be promoted from scholar to Jinshi. Song Yingxing's grandfather and father were both scholars.

Song Yingxing was born in such a bureaucratic landlord family. Although his family was in decline at that time, Song Yingxing also wanted to follow the old path of imperial examinations in his youth.

Song Yingxing and his brother Song Yingsheng passed the examination at the same time. They became famous and were praised as the second Song Dynasty.

The success of the provincial examination made Brother Song more confident. In the autumn of that year, he went north to the capital to prepare for the joint examination, but he failed.

He tried to go north five times, but all failed.

At the time of the last examination, Song Yingxing was 45 years old, and his temples were frosty.

It can be said that Song Yingxing spent the most precious time in his life taking the imperial examination.

Song Yingxing witnessed with his own eyes the darkness in the officialdom and the examination room. The examination room engaged in malpractice and monopolized the official career.

By the end of the Ming Dynasty, the imperial examination had become a ladder for the rich and powerful to get promoted and make a fortune. Those who advanced mostly relied on bribes from their family members to succeed, and cheating in the examination became a common phenomenon.

The harsh reality made Song Yingxing realize the ugliness of the imperial examination system that used Confucian classics as the standard of right and wrong.

Song Yingxing's experiences and feelings in the first half of his life turned him from a Neo-Confucianist to a Realist.

Therefore, he no longer took the exam, gave up the idea of ​​​​the imperial examination, and turned to practical studies, delving into scientific and technological issues closely related to the national economy and people's livelihood.

During his lifetime, Song Yingxing taught his descendants not to take the imperial examination and not to be an official.

This not only shows Song Yingxing's determination to resist the Qing Dynasty until death, but also shows Song Yingxing's mood of breaking with the imperial examination.

However, he regretted that Song Yingxing's scientific achievements were not taken seriously at the time.

Otherwise, the Chinese nation would not be facing being bullied by Western powers today.

"Song Yingxing thought of the bitter experiences of his grandfather and father who wasted their youth on the road to imperial examinations, and his ambition for fame could not help but grow cold."

"When he returned home, he named his study room the Family Food Hall with great emotion."

"It means that I would rather eat the food of ordinary people at home than pursue the salary of an official."

"After that, Song Yingxing devoted his main energy to travel and inspection."

"Through actual observations, the production techniques and experiences of agriculture and handicrafts in various places were recorded in preparation for the compilation of a scientific and technological monograph."

"In the eighth year of Chongzhen, Song Yingxing, who was nearly 50 years old, went to Fenyi County, Yuanzhou Prefecture, this province to serve as a county scholar due to livelihood and other reasons."

"Jiaoyu was a county school instructor. His rank was very low and his monthly salary was very small. He was what the scholar-bureaucrats at the time called a cold official."

"But being a cold official also has the advantage of having fewer things to do and more free time."

"Being an edict was an important stage in Song Yingxing's life. During this time, he was able to concentrate on writing."

"All his major works were completed at this time, including the famous "Tiangong Kaiwu"."

"In the 16th year of Chongzhen, Song Yingxing was appointed magistrate of Bozhou, Fengyang Prefecture, South Zhili."

"At this time, the Ming Dynasty was in a precarious state due to the attack of Li Zicheng's peasant uprising army and the Qing army's attack, and could fall at any time."

"One year later, in 1644 AD, the Qing army entered the pass."

"Emperor Chongzhen of the Ming Dynasty hanged himself, ending the 276-year rule of the Ming Dynasty."

"Fortunately, the Ming Dynasty clan re-established the Nanming regime and gave Song Yingxing and his brother new hope."

"However, the factions in the small imperial court of the Southern Ming Dynasty were fiercely fighting, and the soldiers' combat effectiveness was weak and their morale was disorganized."

"It was possible to surrender to the Qing court at any time, so the Nanming regime only lasted 18 years before disappearing into thin air."

"In 1646 AD, Song Yingsheng, who knew there was no hope of recovering the country, took poison and died for the country."

"Song Yingxing, who was deeply hit, retired to the countryside and lived a life of poverty. Even if he lived in poverty in his later years, he would no longer enter the officialdom."

"In 1666 AD, the fifth year of Kangxi's reign, Song Yingxing passed away at the age of 80."

"Song Yingxing left behind a family motto, warning future generations not to take part in the imperial examinations or become officials, as long as the scholarly reputation is passed down to the family."

Sun Yat-sen: The publication of Song Yingxing's "Tiangong Kaiwu" is inseparable from the rise and development of industrial and agricultural production technology in the late Ming Dynasty.

In the feudal dynasties of Ming and Qing Dynasties, no one could realize the importance of "Tiangong Kaiwu".

It was not until the Western powers opened the door to China with science that all Chinese people realized the greatness of Song Yingxing.

The reason why Song Yingxing was able to write a masterpiece such as "Tiangong Kaiwu" is closely related to the social environment at the end of the Ming Dynasty.

With the quiet rise of capitalism, the scientific revolution and technology also developed rapidly.

This is an era of great change in history. Major changes in society, economy, science and technology have had widespread repercussions across China.

There is no doubt that these new situations promoted the development of science and technology, thus making the science of the Ming Dynasty have different characteristics from that of the previous generation.

The scientific community in the Ming Dynasty participated in the scientific and technological renaissance movement in its own way and made contributions within its capacity.

Agriculture was quite developed in the Ming Dynasty. In order to solve the problem of more people and less land, a series of measures were taken in agricultural production in the Ming Dynasty.

Such as increasing the yield per unit area, increasing the multiple cropping index, improving farming and cultivation techniques, and promoting intensive farming of the multi-cropping system.

Wheat transplantation is a new technology developed in the Ming Dynasty, and the winter grain method is an early sowing and early harvesting technology that emerged in the north.

Water conservancy related to agriculture has also received great attention, and various simple machines are commonly used for irrigation and water supply.

The significant increase in the cultivation area of ​​cash crops in the Ming Dynasty was a reflection of the commodity economy at that time in agriculture.

The cultivation of various oil crops, tea, tung oil and plant dyes has been further developed than in the previous generation, and is marketed throughout the country through commercial channels.

With the development of the commodity economy, the handicraft industry in the Ming Dynasty surpassed the previous generation in terms of production scale, product variety and quality, and technical level.

With the development of agriculture and handicrafts, commerce and cities also prospered, and foreign trade also developed.

The commodity economy and the budding development of capitalism also developed significantly in Song Yingxing's hometown of Jiangxi Province.

In addition, Song Yingxing traveled extensively in various places and witnessed these new situations, which made it possible for Song Yingxing to record the development of industrial and agricultural production technology and commodity economy that he saw.

Because the industrial and agricultural production knowledge and technical experience gathered in the Ming Dynasty had to be summarized by someone.

Factory handicrafts, which are larger than cottage industries, require the use of scientific knowledge, more advanced technology and equipment, and higher labor productivity to organize production.

This not only provides social practical needs for the writing of "Tiangong Kaiwu", but also provides objective possibilities.

Through the book "Tiangong Kaiwu" we can see that the industrial and agricultural production technology of the Ming Dynasty reached a relatively high technical level.

"When we mention Song Yingxing today, we often think of his "Tiangong Kaiwu"."

"In fact, Song Yingxingcai has a Ph.D. in the natural and humanities fields. He is an encyclopedic scholar."

"Not only has he made outstanding contributions in science and technology, but he has also made achievements in philosophy, military, politics, literature and other fields."

"Song Yingxing's works can be divided into four major categories. One is those belonging to natural science and technical science, including "Tiangong Kaiwu", "Observation", "Music Rhythm", etc."

"The second one is about humanities, including "Yi Yi", "Returning to the Picture Sound", "Miscellaneous Essays", "Spring and Autumn Rong Di Jie", etc."

"The third one is between the two major fields mentioned above, such as "Original Consumption" and "Ten Types of Speech", etc."

"The fourth category belongs to literary creations, such as "Poems of Thoughts on Beauty" and "Poems of Pity on Fools". "Unfortunately, most of these works have been lost, and not many of them have been preserved now."

"Song Yingxing experienced six periods in his life: Wanli, Taichang, Tianqi, Chongzhen, Shunzhi and Kangxi of the Qing Dynasty, and personally experienced the historical changes of the Ming Dynasty and the Qing Dynasty."

"In the face of the decline of the Ming Dynasty, social unrest."

"Song Yingxing has his own thinking, which is reflected in his works."

"For example, "Yiyi" is a political commentary that discusses the current situation."

"The book sharply criticizes the feudal ruling class's cruel oppression of the people and extravagant squandering, pointing out that in the name of raising military pay, the imperial court continued to plunder and send more troops."

"Also, the eunuchs sent out by the emperor and the local vassal kings eat and drink the common people."

"Song Yingxing wrote angrily about the facts he witnessed. The people could not afford the heavy taxes, so the government tortured them severely, which eventually led to the government forcing the people to rebel."

Chiang Kai-shek: To a certain extent, "Tiangong Kaiwu" compiled by Song Yingxing served the interests of the emerging working class.

After two thousand years of feudal rule, society had entered a stage of rapid decline by the end of the Ming Dynasty.

Due to the development of the commodity economy, the germination of capitalism began to appear in the Jiajing and Wanli years.

On the one hand, social and economic development has promoted the progress of science and technology.

The progress of science and technology has promoted the further development of agriculture and the improvement of rural productivity.

Agriculture, in turn, provides sufficient raw materials and commodity markets for the handicraft industry, promoting industrial development and commercial prosperity.

In addition, the development of the transportation industry has accelerated the exchange and improvement of production technology.

In addition, the emergence of a new class of workers provided conditions for the germination of capitalism.

According to his understanding, there were more than 10,000 textile workers in Suzhou alone during the Wanli period.

The machine owner contributes the capital and the machine workers contribute the labor, and there is a capital-employment relationship.

Although the seeds of capitalism had grown, it ultimately failed to break through the shackles of feudal production relations.

The popular movement that broke out in urban industry and commerce, as well as the uprising struggles of the peasants, shook the centralized superstructure and the economic structure with agriculture as the main body.

However, the tenacity of China's feudal system hindered the transition from feudal society to capitalist society.

Song Yingxing followed the historical trend of the remarkable development of the budding capitalism and complied with the requirements of the times.

The compiled "Tiangong Kaiwu" is a reference book for those who are interested in developing industrial and agricultural production and prospering commerce.

It can be seen from Song Yingxing's writing of "Tiangong Kaiwu" that the Chinese nation originally had the opportunity to surpass Western countries.

It's just a pity that after the Manchu Qing Dynasty destroyed the Ming Dynasty, it also killed science.

As a result, the gap between China and the West has widened, and it has reached an irreversible situation today.

"Song Yingxing also boldly proposed that taxes should not be increased on the people, but useless expenditures should be saved."

"I have to say that Song Yingxing's grasp of the social ills at that time was relatively accurate, and his analysis was very accurate."

"It reflects an intellectual's concern for the country and the people, as well as his courage to criticize the gains and losses of current affairs."

"Song Yingxing also paid attention to and pursued the purification of customs, and put forward an important proposition in "Yiyi"."

"Customs refer to social atmosphere, and people's hearts refer to thoughts. Song Yingxing believes that customs and people's hearts influence each other."

"Song Yingxing emphasized that the sign of a stable society is the stability of people's hearts. To achieve this,"

"The first is that the country is peaceful, and the second is that people are not greedy for fame and fortune."

"These two points are exactly what society was missing in the late Ming Dynasty. Song Yingxing pointed them out pointedly."

"Song Yingxing also believes that when treating historical classics, we should adopt an attitude of eliminating the dross and preserving the essence, rather than blindly worshiping them."

"Philosophers who understand ancient and modern times are people who follow objective laws and pay attention to practical learning. The so-called great masters do not rely on people's praise."

"Therefore, articles that are hypocritical and untrue should be discarded, and articles that are profound and useful will be circulated like beautiful jade."

"In "Poetry of Pity the Fool", Song Yingxing hopes that those who are seeking fame and fame and writing without real talent or knowledge should be more down-to-earth and do more real knowledge."

"In "Yiyi", Song Yingxing starts from the perspective of advocating practical learning and focusing on practicality."

"Point out that it is precisely because the examiners cannot be impartial and impartial that some unlearned and unskilled people are in high-ranking positions, while truly talented people are buried."

"Song Yingxing's pursuit is also reflected in his pursuit of truth and his ambition in life to achieve something."

Yuan Shikai: The social turmoil and chaos in the late Ming Dynasty indirectly led Song Yingxing to pursue scientific research.

Song Yingxing lived in the period of social turmoil and chaos in the late Ming Dynasty, from the Wanli to Chongzhen years.

Although the Ming regime still maintained its rule over large areas of the country, class and ethnic conflicts became extremely acute.

First of all, the upper class of the feudal ruling class, the rulers are stupid and ignore state affairs.

They appointed eunuchs and traitorous ministers and rejected loyal and good officials.

As a result, the government was out of line and the regime was extremely corrupt.

Powerful eunuchs and traitorous officials formed cliques for personal gain, took bribes and violated the law, acted wantonly, and oppressed the people wherever they went.

Relying on their political power and in the name of contribution, big bureaucratic landlords frantically annexed and occupied the land that farmers relied on for survival, causing the land to be highly concentrated in a small group of landlords.

In addition, excessive taxes were imposed on urban and rural areas, causing the majority of people to be exploited and squeezed, and the entire society was in dire straits.

Secondly, under the pressure of heavy miscellaneous taxes.

Not only were industrial and commercial owners unprofitable, but they were heavily in debt, resulting in the decline of industry and commerce.

Naturally, most of the servants and workers employed by industrial and commercial owners in the cities were unemployed and had nowhere to make a living.

They can only join the ranks of the peasant uprising and use force to survive.

The brutal suppression of previous peasant uprisings by the government and military could only arouse stronger resistance.

Peasant riots occurred one after another, and the conflicts and divisions within the ruling class became increasingly intensified. The Ming Dynasty's regime was in danger at every turn.

Finally, some noble rulers of ethnic minorities also took the opportunity to launch plundering wars, and the powerful Jurchen tribe in the north rose.

Japanese pirates caused serious troubles along the coast, and border troubles continued.

As a result, class conflicts and ethnic conflicts have become acute and turbulent, becoming more and more intense.

This is an era of internal and external troubles and turmoil. It is also an era of crisis and chaos. It is also an era of social change.

Song Yingxing personally experienced the changes of this era and ruthlessly exposed the corruption of the ruling class at that time in politics, military, ideology, culture and other aspects.

Song Yingxing also actively participated in the struggle against the Qing Dynasty, but with no hope of saving the country, he turned to studying practical knowledge related to the national economy and people's livelihood.

"In "The Preface to Talking about Heaven", Song Yingxing has realized that the secrets that have always troubled mankind can be explored."

"Therefore, Song Yingxing fearlessly explored nature."

"It is precisely based on this spirit of research that dares to defy the world's disapproval that many of the natural and social science theories proposed by Song Yingxing are very advanced, and some are even close to modern understanding."

"For example, in the field of physics, Song Yingxing studied the occurrence and propagation of sound, and proposed the idea that sound is a wave in the air."

"In terms of epistemology, Song Yingxing believes that studying things should advocate scientific practice."

"He also believes that the world is knowable, and humans are the subjects who understand and explore the unknown."

"All these reflect Song Yingxing's vision and temperament as a scientist."

"This is also the premise and basis for Song Yingxing to write an immortal masterpiece like "Tiangong Kaiwu"."

"Today, Song Yingxing and "Tiangong Kaiwu" have become an inseparable whole."

"When you mention this person, you will be connected to this book, and when you mention this book, you will definitely think of its author."

"It is worth mentioning that Song Yingxing did not write this book for fame and fortune."

"It is out of concern for the national economy and people's livelihood, emphasis on social production and the development of the commodity economy, and emphasis on the application of technology in agriculture and handicrafts."

"The book "Tiangong Kaiwu" is divided into three volumes and eighteen chapters."

"The content is very rich, covering almost all agricultural and handicraft production types at that time."

"It contains a large amount of precise data and more than one hundred and twenty illustrations."

“It’s very clear and picturesque.”

"In general, Song Yingxing is a great scientist in Chinese history."

Some intellectuals during the Republic of China were filled with emotion, not only for Song Yingxing, but also for the entire Chinese nation.

Song Yingxing is a great scientist, the pride of the Chinese nation, and the disdain of intellectuals like them.

In the late Ming Dynasty, China's technological level was no worse than that of Western powers.

But by the Qing Dynasty, everything related to science was suppressed and eliminated by the Manchu royal family.

They couldn't help but guess that if the Qing Dynasty could pay attention to scientists like Song Yingxing, China today would definitely be able to compete with Western powers.

Song Yingxing wrote many works throughout his life, but because of his anti-Qing thoughts, he was not included in the Qing Dynasty's "Sikuquanshu" and was almost lost.

Song Yingxing's original intention of creating "Tiangong Kaiwu" was for Confucian scholars who did not know the five grains and could only talk empty talk.

Song Yingxing never thought that "Tiangong Kaiwu" would be lost one day, let alone that it would be reborn in a foreign country.

After "Tiangong Kaiwu" spread to Japan, the Japanese applied the advanced technologies recorded in the book to their own country, which promoted the rapid growth of their own economy.

Subsequently, "Tiangong Kaiwu" was spread to North Korea and was valued by the real school of the Li Dynasty.

Later, "Tiangong Kaiwu" was also spread to Western countries, and libraries in Western countries still have collections.

It was not until the Republic of China that the complete version of "Tiangong Kaiwu" was found in Japan and re-introduced into the country.

"Tiangong Kaiwu" was born in China, but it has to be retrieved from Japan. This is the most ironic thing for them.

But no matter what, they are all proud that the Chinese nation can have scientists like Song Yingxing.

Song Yingxing devoted his life to the scientific investigation and research of agriculture and handicraft production, and made outstanding achievements. He is an outstanding scientist in the history of our country and even the world.

Song Yingxing had a rough life. He did not achieve success in officialdom, but he became brilliant three hundred years after his death.

If Song Yingxing spent the first half of his life either preparing for or taking the imperial examination, then in the second half of his life he either fought against the Qing Dynasty or lived in seclusion because of his opposition to the Qing Dynasty.

In general, Song Yingxing’s pragmatic spirit of attaching great importance to field investigation and practical experience in scientific research is worthy of being inherited and carried forward by descendants like them.

(End of this chapter)