<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="1" > Zhang Faxian</h1>
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="2" > No. 1015</h1>
When people walk into the Mei Wending Memorial Hall in the center of Xuancheng City, a statue more than two meters high in front of the museum quickly leaves a solemn and admiring impression on visitors. The old man's wise eyes, resolute appearance, simple dress, and the scroll in his left hand look particularly antique under the background of the blue sky and white cloud emblem school building. The base of the statue is engraved: "Mei Wending (1633-1721), a native of Xuancheng, Anhui." ...... Scientists of ancient China with world influence. In ancient China, people who were proficient in astronomical calendars and mathematics were often called almanacs, so in the discussion of the history of science and technology, he was also called "a famous calendar master of the Qing Dynasty".
When I visit this memorial hall again and again, I always have thoughts: I am also a Xuancheng person, can I consciously learn a little about the history of science and technology, write some works that publicize and popularize Mei Wending's academic achievements, and do this, is not to send the most appropriate gift to commemorate the ancestors? The old man's scientific and cultural heritage is too rich, he spent his life to explore ancient calendars and mathematical achievements, research and expound the mathematical theories imported from the West, so that the Chinese and Western will be able to communicate, writing 88 books, 236 volumes, forming the famous "Xuancheng School of Mathematics". As a beginner, I can only start by reading the annals of the elderly, familiarizing myself with the general situation, and then seeking to go deeper, which may be more effective.
Looking back at the past hundred years, Chinese science and technology historians have studied Mei Wending's academic achievements twice: one in the 1930s and 1940s of the last century; and once at the turn of the century after the reform and opening up, that is, the "International Symposium in Memory of Mei Wending" held in Xuancheng, Wuhu and Xuancheng in 1988, 1993 and Xuancheng respectively. One of the achievements of the two booms was that scholars compiled five versions of the Mei's chronology, providing valuable historical information for knowing his life. The authors of these five editions and their respective features are described below:
I. Li Yu's "Mei Wending Chronology", published in 1925 in the second issue of the second volume of the Journal of Tsinghua (University).
Li Yu (1892-1963) was a pioneer in the study of the history of mathematics in China. His family was poor and he was a descendant of the Eight Banners of the Qing Dynasty who stayed in Fuzhou. When he was young, he only participated in the construction of major projects of the Longhai Railway with a secondary school degree in civil engineering. Working during the day and tirelessly studying the history of Chinese mathematics in tents and under oil lamps at night, Mei's chronology was completed during this period. Without information, he borrowed relevant historical books from libraries at home and abroad through letters, and the difficulty of searching and the repetition of time were difficult for ordinary people to accept. After the founding of New China, he was specially approved by the government and transferred to the Chinese Academy of Sciences as a member (academician), ending more than 40 years of field work and life (1913-1955).
The characteristic of this chronology written by Academician Li Yu is that the annotation is fine. For example, mei's birth time and address have three examinations, as if he had been to Xuancheng. There are more than a dozen arguments about Mei's wisdom and character, all of which are written evaluations by well-known people of the same era. Because Academician Li Is a mathematician, the knowledge involved in this aspect of the chronology is more comprehensive and thorough. This edition of the chronology was included in the Series on the History of Chinese Arithmetic (III) in 1955 (Science Press).
Li Yu (first from left)
2. Qian Baochun's "Annals of Mr. Mei Bei'an"[1], published in the quarterly journal of Zhejiang University in 1932, vol. 1, and issue 1.
Qian Baochun (1892-1974) was a famous historian of science and a native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang. In his early years, he studied in the United Kingdom, majored in civil engineering, and after returning to China, he engaged in mathematics teaching in key universities for a long time, and was also quite accomplished in ancient astronomy. In 1956, he was transferred to the Chinese Academy of Sciences and served as a first-class researcher.
The chronology he wrote was completed while teaching in the Department of Mathematics at Zhejiang University. It is characterized by detailed commentary and a long preface in addition to notes, which seems to have the feeling of Mei's biography. His almanac works are explained in more detail, and the almanacs of his contemporaries are also introduced and evaluated. This edition of the chronology was included in the Selected Papers on the History of Science by Qian Baochun in 1983 (Science Press).
3. Shang Hongkui's "Nine Years of Mei Ding", published in the monthly magazine of the University of China and France in 1932 (Beijing), Vol. 1, No. 1.
Shang Hongkui (1907-1983) was a famous Historian of the Ming and Qing Dynasties, a native of Qingyuan, Hebei. In his early years, he entered the Sino-French University to study literature, and after becoming famous, he became a professor in the Department of History at Peking University. When he studied the historiography of the Ming and Qing dynasties, he found that Mei Wending's academic achievements had an impact on the early Qing Dynasty and even the entire Qing Dynasty, and he was the leader of the "Xuancheng School of Mathematics". Professor Shang Hongkui overcame the difficulty of writing science manuscripts in the liberal arts and completed the Mei's Chronology, which shows the research boom of that year. According to chronological analysis, this version of the chronology may have been the work he did when he was studying for a master's degree at the Institute of Chinese Studies at Peking University.
4. Li Di's "Compendium of Mei Wending's Chronology", published in the "Commentary on Mei Wending" of Nanjing University Press in 2007.
Li Di (1927-2006) was a famous historian of science and technology, a native of Yitong, Jilin Province, and a son of a peasant. Graduated from the Department of Mathematics of Northeast Normal University, he has been teaching at Inner Mongolia Normal University for a long time, and served as the director of the Institute of The History of Science of the university, and is the chief scientist of Mei Wending. He visited Xuancheng three times: twice (in 1988 and 1993) to attend academic conferences, and once (in early July 1986) to visit Mei's hometown, where he conducted exclusive interviews with Mei Wending's 10th generation Sun Mei Yuhua and 11th generation Sun Mei Ligong, and took a set of valuable photos of Mei's former residence and literary relics (because the original old house was demolished after this). The characteristics of this version of the chronology written by Professor Li Di are concise and concise, there are almost no annotations, there are not many ancient words, and it is easy to understand, which is very helpful for readers to quickly understand the general situation of Mei's life. At the same time, this version also briefly explains how Mei's mathematical skills can be through The Chinese and Western.
5. Zhuang Zengming's "Brief Genealogy of Mei Wending", published in 1988 in the "Xuanzhou Cultural Relics" album commemorating the 355th anniversary of Mei Wending's birth.
Zhuang Zengming (1930-2009) was a native of Jiaxing, Zhejiang Province, who served for a long time as the director of the Cultural Relics Management Institute of the former Xuancheng District Cultural Bureau, an associate researcher, and a well-known literary and historical worker in the region. The purpose of his writing of this version of the chronology is clearly stated in front of the text, that is, "Regarding the Mei Wending Chronology, Li Yu, Qian Baochun and other experts have written it separately, each with its own emphasis, and it is difficult to read it today, and now it is to commemorate the 355th anniversary of the birth of this master (then referring to the Xuancheng Academic Symposium in 1988), on the basis of the writings of predecessors, to organize and compile the adult chronology to feed the readers of Mei's hometown." It can be seen that Mr. Zhuang Zengming, as a literary and historical worker in his work area, was a task he accepted before this academic seminar. It is not easy for him to write a relatively complete chronology under the condition that the computer network has not yet been used at the grass-roots level. This version of the chronology is characterized by more quotations from the original text, the language is simple, and it was officially collected by the "Xuancheng Meiwending Memorial Hall" in 2005.
Looking at Mei Wending's life from the five versions of the chronology, there are several important journeys:
He was intelligent since childhood, known as the "eye of a child prodigy", often with his father Mei Shichang and private school Mr. Luo Wangbin looking up at the celestial signs, knowing the principle of perpetual movement of celestial bodies, and from an early age he had an interest in pursuing astronomy. Between the ages of 27 and 29, he visited Ni Zheng, a Taoist from Zhuguan, and further studied the knowledge of the ancient calendar, so he aspired to study the calendar and began to write, and he was famous in the township. At the age of 40, he lost his wife (wife Chen, whose family was also well-off), vowed not to marry, and "pillow borrowed Jian Yi" (meaning to accompany the book) for life. During his youth, he was recommended several times by shi runzhang (1618-1683), a famous poet in the early Qing dynasty, which also had an important impact on his well-known growth.
In middle age, he went out of the mountain village and went to Jiangning (now Nanjing) five times to take the imperial examination, which brought him into contact with well-known domestic literary and scientific scholars, and came into contact with foreign missionaries who came to China. But at the same time, he also recognized the many advantages of traditional Chinese mathematics in practical applications. This enabled him to enter a new field of academic development in the future. Through staying in Jiangning for eight or nine years, the title of "Xuancheng Mei Wending" has gradually become rumored in the domestic academic circles.
At the age of 57, he was invited by the Ming History Museum to Beijing to participate in the revision of the Chronicles. Why? Because none of the 50 scholars who were engaged in calendar revision that the Kangxi Emperor had originally summoned to study the calendar were competent. When Mei Shi first arrived in Kyoto, he was questioned by the princes of the Shiguan (who looked down on him), and he used his nucleus to discuss the gains and losses of ancient and modern chroniclers, and his shortcomings and omissions, and he was able to show his writings, which were interpreted in detail, and the so-called chroniclers were greatly impressed. Even the Kangxi Emperor heard his knowledge. While completing his assigned tasks, he became acquainted with a group of fellow scholars and high-ranking officials in Kyoto. Since then, the reputation of "Xuancheng Mei Wending" has been further greatly enhanced, and its important works have also been published.
In old age, something more glorious came. In the early summer of 1705, the dragon boat returned from the Kangxi Emperor's southern tour, moored on the bank of the Dezhou Canal, and the 73-year-old Mei Wending, under the care of the eldest grandson Mei Wancheng, was introduced by Li Guangdi, a scholar-type high-ranking official in Kyoto, and was summoned to the dragon boat. The Kangxi Emperor said with emotion: "Among his subjects, those who can discuss the study of almanac with him and can correct him have finally met today." At the time of parting, he was specially given the four-character imperial book of "Performance Study Reference". This great event brought supreme glory to the Mei family, and its social status was greatly improved.
Mei Wending has three younger brothers: Wen Nai, Wen Nai (Yin Zi), Wen Nai (Yin Secret), and Yi Yan, all of whom are people who know astronomy and mathematics, and the brothers often study and discuss together, and sometimes collaborate on books. In particular, the eldest grandson Mei Yancheng was even more talented, and could be said to be Mei Wending's academic successor, a mathematician who was highly used by the emperors of the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong dynasties.
Learn to think. After reading five versions of the Mei Wending Chronology, I would like to write a general historical background overview of his family environment, social trends, academic characteristics, and cloth clothes from several aspects, so as to exchange ideas in the discussion of "Wanling Meishi Culture".
In 1644, when the Ming Dynasty fell and the Qing Dynasty was established, Mei Wending lived in a turbulent society around the age of 12.
Speaking of his ancestors, he is the same ancestral branch of Mei Yaochen (1002-1060), a famous poet in Xuancheng during the Northern Song Dynasty. It was this other tribe that was separated from the large family living in Shuangyang Mountain (present-day Meixi Park) in the south of the city during the Chunxi period (1174-1189) and migrated to Nanzhuang of Baifeng Mountain, that is, the village of Zaiji at the foot of Wenfeng Mountain (present-day Sanjiadu, Kamata Village, Xintian Town). After that, there was almost no reputation for more than three hundred years, until the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty, the Genealogy said that the Wenfeng Mei clan was full of talents and became a famous and prestigious family in Jiangnan. There is Wenfeng Academy, which is the place where Mei's children study, as well as ancestral halls, houses, lotus ponds, pebble roads and so on. At that time, a poem wrote: "When the water flows in the mountains, the courtyard is passed, and the hirata outside the village is halfway around the door." Busy women who harvest tea for many years, grow bamboo at home and grow their children and grandchildren. "The real scene vividly depicts the village of Zayoshi.
However, in the second year of Shunzhi (1645), the Qing army went down to Jiangnan, Attacked Wuhu in Nanjing, and entered Huizhou, and the war along the way destroyed the Wenfeng Mei clan in Xuancheng Baifengshan Township. Since then, the elders of the family have stayed in nostalgia for the old dynasty, with a festive mentality, willing to be the remnants of the Ming Dynasty, not seeking the Qing government as an official, living in seclusion in mountain villages, living a plain life of studying literature and history, calculating "Yi" [3], and paying attention to tutoring. The young Mei Wending is immersed in such a bookish but turbulent family environment.
In history, at the end of the Ming Dynasty and the beginning of the Qing Dynasty, Western science and technology were introduced to China in many aspects. The direct reason is that European Jesuit priests took advantage of the fact that their own capitalist economy was looking for markets and raw materials abroad, and came to China one after another, many of them were students of famous European scientists, quite academically literate, and guided by "academic" missionary work, they would carry with them world maps, scientific works, self-chiming bells, telescopes, etc. in China's folk lectures and accompanied by missionary teachings. New things were gradually accepted by the more enlightened scholars of the time. Facts have proved that the theory of logical deduction in Western mathematics, the geometric cosmic model used in the astronomical calendar, the practical and convenient pen calculation technique, etc., do have obvious advantages compared with similar disciplines in ancient China. Even the emperors of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties were quite impressed. As early as before and after the birth of Mei Wending, Chinese scholars who accepted Western science had jointly translated or compiled geometry, practical arithmetic, astronomy, cartography, etc. with the characteristics of the times with missionaries, and these new knowledge and new achievements with the characteristics of the times provided development opportunities and preparatory work for Mei Wending's "Huitong Chinese and Western".
The knowledge of the calendar in history is a very deep and extensive knowledge. If it is expressed in modern terms, it belongs to "mathematical astronomy". All generations of feudal dynasties had to promulgate calendars, but when formulating calendars, they mainly emphasized precision (this is the work of almanacs), that is, calculating the positions of the sun, moon, and five planets on the celestial sphere at any time. The purpose is to determine the annual season of the year, to guide the people how to arrange agricultural affairs and life, but also to predict special celestial phenomena such as solar eclipses, lunar eclipses, and five planets, and to indicate how to avoid disasters and pray for blessings in the world. Therefore, the ancient calendar work is an important symbol of imperial power, and "private astronomy" is illegal and criminal. It was not until the middle of the Ming Dynasty that the ban on this study was relaxed. The loosening of the academic atmosphere has opened up a channel for academic exchanges for the calendarists who will be active in the folk in the future. Mei Wending's academic career began with the astronomical calendar, and later focused on the study of mathematics, the two complemented each other and promoted each other, thus becoming a representative figure of contemporary almanac. The calendar belongs to "mathematical astronomy", from which it can be verified.
The historical examination system is the main way to seek officials. Mei Wending participated in four township examinations and one en examination, but all of them failed, and he never became an official in his life, and only spent his life in academic cloth. According to the rules of the feudal dynasty, although he had academic prestige, it was impossible to record much in the main history. The material for his life's deeds mainly comes from the following aspects: First, the records in the family tree or county chronicle. The second is the time, place, and personal testimonials given in the preface to the writing of one's own work, or the people and things involved in the writing of the preface to one's work by others. Third, from the more than a thousand poems he wrote himself, he can also know the overview of social activities between him and his family, relatives and friends. The fourth is the biographies, reviews, tomb watches, etc. written by well-known people at that time for him.
It can be seen from this that compiling the Mei Wending Chronology is a relatively difficult task, and it can only be found, collected, sorted out and compiled from the above historical materials. Fortunately, experts in the history of science and technology in China or in the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties have made arduous and meticulous efforts for this work, so that we can have a clearer understanding of mei's main experience and academic achievements in life.
To this day, master's and doctoral students studying the history of science in China's colleges and universities are still conducting higher-level research on Mei's important works with a modern perspective, and they sometimes come to Xuancheng to conduct special interviews with relevant people. This shows that the social value of scientists with world influence is eternal.
bibliography:
[1] Mei Wending characters dingjiu and number began, from which we can see the different names of the above versions of the chronology.
[2] The family also suffered a major trauma, namely the "Xianfeng Bing" (燹音傳, literally wildfire) in the late Qing Dynasty. The Qing army and the Taiping (Heavenly Kingdom) army in Xuancheng tug-of-war for 12 years, Wenfeng Mei's population died 89 times out of 10, many buildings and family properties were destroyed, and the prestigious scientific and cultural family declined. Because of the two wars, we now visit the Kashiwa Pass and can hardly see any decent ancient buildings or surface roots, which is very regrettable.
[3] The "reckoning of the I Ching" referred to here refers not only to the general content of the I Ching, but also to the meaning of reckoning astronomy, calendar, and mathematics. Mei Wending's great-grandfather, grandfather, and father were all scholars of literature and history and almanac, and some works have been recorded in the annals of history.
(The author is a retired cadre of Xuancheng Science and Technology Bureau and a member of the Municipal Historical and Cultural Research Association)
Production: Tong Daqing.