The last decades of the Ming dynasty, though plagued by chaos and destruction, saw a significant increase in publications that examined advances in knowledge and technology. Among the numerous guides and reference books that appeared during this period was a series of texts by Song Yingxing (1587-1666?), a minor local official living in southern China. His Tiangong kaiwu, the longest and most prominent of these works, documents the extraction and processing of raw materials and the manufacture of goods essential to everyday life, from yeast and wine to paper and ink to boats, carts, and firearms. In The Crafting of the 10,000 Things, Dagmar Schafer probes this fascinating text and the legacy of its author to shed new light on the development of scientific thinking in China, the purpose of technical writing, and its role in and effects on Chinese history.
- ISBN10 022627280X
- ISBN13 9780226272801
- Publish Date 17 March 2015 (first published 15 May 2011)
- Publish Status Unknown
- Publish Country US
- Imprint University of Chicago Press
- Format Paperback
- Pages 352
- Language English