For 2,000 years the Chinese people had a most remarkable record in science and technology. Then from two to three centuries ago a decline set in. Commenting on ancient Chinese technological discoveries and inventions, Dr. Joseph Needham writes in the preface to his great work Scitence and Civilisation in China that they were "often far in advance (as we shall have little difficulty in showing) of contemporary Europe, especially up to the 15th century".

Catalogued according to different scientific fields, the book draws wisdom from authoritative experts in the institute of the History of Natural Sciences (IHNS) from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), and comprehensively introduces ancient Chinas scientific and technological achieve- ments in such fields as astronomy, mathematics, physics, chemistry, geology, biology, agriculture, medicine, printing, spinning and weaving, metal- lurgy and foundry, machinery, architecture, ship-building and navigation, and military technology, etc. This book is Of high academic quality yet writ- ten in the simplest language possible, and thus is a very readable popular science collection.

PREFACE
RECORDS OF ASTRONOMICAL EVENTS
ASTROMETRY AND ASTROMETRIC INSTRUMENTS
CHINESE CALENDARS
MATHEMATICAL CLASSICS
THE DECIMAL PLACE-VALUE NUMERATION AND THE ROD AND BEAD ARITHMETICS
THE OUT-IN COMPLEMENTARY PRINCIPLE
METHOD FOR DETERMINING SEGMENT AREAS AND EVALUA- TION OF
THE CHINESE REMAINDER THEOREM
THE NUMERICAL SOLUTION OF HIGHER EQUATIDNS ANDTHE TIANYUAN METHOD
MECHANICS
ACOUSTICS
MAGNETISM AND THE COMPASS
OPTICS
THE INVENTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF PAPERMAKING
GUNPOWDER AND FIREARMS
PORCELAIN
LACQUER AND LACQUER TECHNIQUE
ALCHEMY IN ANCIENT CHINA
PHENOLOGICAL CALENDARS AND KNOWLEDGE OF PHE- NOLOGY
WATER CONSERVANCY PROJECTS AND KNOWLEDGE OFHYDROLOGY
MAPS 2,000 YEARS AGO AND ANCIENT CARTOGRAPHICAL RULES
ROCKS, MINERALOGY AND MINING
EARTHQUAKE FORECASTING,PRECAUTIONS AGAINST EARTHQUAKES AND ANTI-SEISMIC MEASURES
RESEARCHES IN HEREDITY AND BREEDING
SOME OUTSTANDING WORKS ON AGRICULTURE
SERICULTURE
HORTICULTURE
TEA
TWO CELEBRATED MEDICAL WORKS
ACUPUNCTURE AND MOXIBUSTION
ACHIEVEMENTS IN ANCIENT CHINESE PHARMACOLOGY
DIAGNOSIS BY PULSE FEELING IN CHINESE TRADITIONAL MEDICINE
SURGERY IN ANCIENT CHINA
THE WORLD'S EARLIEST WORKS ON FORENSIC MEDICINE
THE INVENTION AND DEVELOPMENT OF RINTING ANDITS DISSEMINATION ABROAD
METALLURGY
FOUNDING
AGRICULTURAL MACHINES
VARIOUS TYPES OF CARRIAGES; THE SOUTH-POINTING CARRIAGE AND ODOMETER
THE GREAT WALL
BRIDGES
THE TANG DYNASTY CAPITAL OF CHANGAN
A WOODEN PAGODA MORE THAN 900 YEARS OLD
SHIPBUILDING
THE TECHNIQUE OF MARITIME NAVIGATION
THE SPINNING WHEEL AND THE LOOM
SILK AND SILK TEXTILE TECHNOLOGY
CHRONOLOGY OF CHINESE DYNASTIES
BIBLIOGRAPHY
GLOSSARY
GENERAL INDEX
POSTSCRIPT