The exploration of the deep starry sky is driven by human curiosity.
Chinese this curiosity has lasted for thousands of years and has been passed down from generation to generation, while also leaving a relatively complete record of astronomical observations. In the 17th and 18th centuries, European scholars developed a keen interest in these records and ancient Chinese history, and used them to explore the accuracy of Chinese historical chronology and include Chinese history in the scope of world history.
Professor Han Qi of the School of History of Zhejiang University has long been committed to the study of the history of science, wandering in the time and space of history, allowing him to read the deep meaning of the exchange and mutual learning between Chinese and Western civilizations from the research of European scholars. This year, he presided over the project "Research and Influence of European Scholars on China's Historical Chronology and Ancient Astronomical Records", which was selected as a special project of the National Social Science Foundation for Unpopular Research.
So why did Professor Han Qi's research rank among them, and where is the cold? Where is it?
The unpopular discipline is the discipline that sits on the cold bench
Han Qi specializes in the history of science, which is a relatively special branch of historiography, which requires a certain degree of natural science literacy and a systematic and comprehensive understanding of literary history.
The characteristics of the history of science itself, Han Qi believes, lie in the intersection of literature and science. "To deeply analyze a problem, you must first understand the scientific principles and logical thinking in the historical narrative."
"My research over the past thirty years has been done step by step academic accumulation." Han Qi had read a lot of dusty manuscripts and letters around the world, and many times he could only copy page by page. "Just like the vast universe we are facing, there are always unsolvable puzzles that we need to explore and pursue the truth of history, and we must have a strong interest and curiosity." He said. The archives of such mountains are silent in the long river of time, and even if someone brushes away the thick dust on it, sometimes it may not be able to tell the mystery of history.
Because to "understand", it is necessary to repeatedly ponder the literature, in addition to recognizing words and literate, but also to pass the language barrier. "In addition to mastering the necessary English and French, it is also necessary to have a preliminary understanding of European languages such as German and Latin." Han Qi said, "It takes a while to initially master these languages, and it will take several years to reach proficiency." After years of desk immersion, I unconsciously got used to sitting on the cold bench. ”
"Deconstructing the historical scene of scientific civilization exchanges in different time and space, and reproducing the network of people and communication methods of communication." This is another form of archaeological study that is different from the form of matter, "When you touch the archives, you feel the flow of letters and characters, and there is a sense of dialogue with the ancients." Han Qi was having fun.
A long range of time and a wide range of characters are multi-related
In 1987, when Han Qi first saw the letters of the French Jesuit Song Junrong, he keenly discovered the historical value of them. Song Junrong arrived in China in the last year of the Kangxi Dynasty and lived in Beijing for more than thirty years, but was unable to carry out missionary activities due to the influence of the prohibition policy. However, as a well-trained astronomer, he conducted systematic research on ancient Chinese history, translated the Book of Books, and communicated widely with European scholars, which had a great influence on European scholars.
The yellow-red angle is a basic astronomical constant that is used in calendar calculations. However, the understanding of the yellow and red angles has undergone a considerable process of understanding in Europe. Through the examination of ancient Chinese books, Song Junrong systematically sorted out the observation records of Guiying, and his manuscript was later cited by the famous French astronomer Laplace, and came to the conclusion that the yellow-red horn became smaller with the passage of time.
It was this discussion that attracted Han Qi's attention and deepened it into the study of the history of science. "The astronomical observation of the ancient Chinese system has attracted the attention of European astronomers, and the exploration of this period of history has greatly expanded my research horizons."
Since 1993, Han Qi has collected a large number of first-hand materials from institutions such as the National Library of France, the French Academy of Sciences, the Paris Observatory, the Paris Jesuit Archives, the Royal Society of the United Kingdom, and the Archives in Munich, Germany, and reconstructed his "circle of friends" according to Song Junrong's Collection of Beijing Letters and other unpublished letters, and then "restored" the academic scenes at that time, systematically sorted out the history of Chinese historical chronology and traditional astronomical research, and reconstructed the European academic network and the issues discussed in the 18th century. And the impact of these interactions on European academia.
The history of China and the world of China
Chinese civilization has a long history and has been up and down for 5,000 years. But in Enlightenment Europe, there were still some astronomers and thinkers who, based on their judgments, expressed doubts about ancient Chinese history.
Han Qi introduced that in the 17th and 18th centuries, a group of European missionaries came to China, and they discussed the issue of ancient Chinese chronology based on the astronomical records in ancient documents such as the Book of Shang and the Book of Poetry, and sent these documents back to Europe, which subsequently aroused the attention of European astronomers and Enlightenment thinkers to China's ancient history and astronomical records.
"Today, we always look at how Chinese civilization goes out from our own perspective, but we should use the perspective of history to see the spread of Chinese civilization from the perspective of others." Han Qi's research is to restore the academic circles in Europe at that time through the mutual verification of Chinese and Western documents, and then reveal the context in which French astronomers and Enlightenment thinkers explored ancient Chinese history, which is very difficult and challenging.
"Taking The european research on traditional Chinese astronomy as an example is of positive significance for comprehensively evaluating the status of Chinese science in the history of world science in the 17th and 18th centuries." Han Qi said, "These correspondences and works on Chinese historical chronology and astronomical observations have contributed to the attention of French intellectuals to Chinese history and provided writing materials for French scholars. ”
Voltaire was deeply influenced, starting from the ancient Chinese history, rethinking the beginning of world history, and for the first time placing Chinese civilization in the perspective of world history, defending the long history of Chinese culture and history, and calling for China to be given a more prominent position in the history of the world. Han Qi's project, through the study of the history of Sino-Western exchanges in the 17th and 18th centuries, will provide an excellent example of mutual learning among civilizations.
Text reporter: Ke Yineng
Images from respondents
Today's editor: Zhejiang University Rong Media Center Student Journalist Group Han Mingzheng
Editor-in-Charge: Li Ling