THE IMPACT OF CHINESE VALUES ON THE WORLD.The subject of the contributions of China's civilization to the world in general and to the West in particular is vast, and it is still very much the focus of intense study by scholars. However, even what is already known and documented is neither widely disseminated among the scholars nor made easily available to the general public. Consequently, most people, scholars as well as lay persons, are quite unaware of the Chinese values that enabled the Chinese people to make tremendous contributions to the world in science, philosophy, economics, politics, religion, music, literature, and art. In countless ways, the Chinese ingenuity has made life more comfortable, safe, and enriching for people all over the world. China's scientific and technological progress, however, was generated by Chinese humanism, which stressed the importance of creating a humane world through the process of self-cultivation. As the Confucian classic, "The Great Learning," says, "From the ruler down to the common people, all must regard cultivation of the personal life as the root or foundation" for building a humane society. In other words, regardless of economic, political, or social status, it is the responsibility and right of each individual member of society to seek to become, through self-cultivation, a humane individual who has "integrity of character," "loves humanity," and abides "in the highest good." However, the first step in seeking to attain self-cultivation is to enlarge one's knowledge of reality--of things as they are. Confucius says,
It was this Confucius' humanistic insistence on the "investigation of things as they really are," that is, observing reality without the interference of religious dogma or one's presuppositions, that led to the great Chinese discoveries in science and technology. Confucius had provided not only the method for acquiring knowledge--"investigation of things as they really are"-- but also the purpose for which things were to be investigated--"humaneness"--(ren), that is, to create a humane society. Characteristically, Chinese scientific and technological advances were made, not to exploit human beings, but to enhance their quality of life by improving their living and working conditions. Chinese contributions to the West are indeed in the hundreds; however, for reasons of space, we shall
mention here only the most important contributions of Chinese civilization to the West in the areas of science and technology.
Although several scholars have written on the Chinese scientific contributions to the West, the work that best surveys China's influenced on the West in the fields of science and technology is Robert G.K. Temple's book, China:
Land of Discovery, which is a distillation of Joseph Needham's multi-volume work, entitled, Science and Civilization in China.Temple's work is, however, written primarily for the general reader, and describes not only those Chinese inventions and discoveries that influence the West, but also those that were firsts in the fields of science and technology. Following is a list of Chinese inventions, taken from Temple's work, that had a profound influence on the West, and subsequently, on the rest of the world. Readers wishing to learn about the time, manner, and means these inventions were introduced into Europe from China may consult, Robert G. K.Temple's China:
Land of Discovery,Patrick Stephens: Wellingborough, UK, 1986. Pp. 254. (Isbn 0850598583):
1. Row cultivation and intensive
hoeing methods. 2. the iron plow. 3. The efficient horse harness. 4. The
rotary winnowing fan. 5. The Chinese multi-tube ("modern") seed drill.
Equatorial astronomical instruments
such as the equatorial mounting for telescopes, the clock-drive for the
equatorial mounting for telescopes, and equatorial coordinates.
1. The double-acting piston bellows.
2. The so-called "Carden suspension," or gimbals. 3. Deep drilling for
natural gas. 4. The belt-drive (or driving-belt). 5. The chain pump.
6. The suspension bridge.
7. Essentials of the steam engin.
8. The segmental arch bridge.
1. Lacquer, the "first plastic." 2.
Paper. 3. The wheelbarrow. 4. Sliding calipers. 5. Wallpaper. 6. Toilet paper. 7. The Kite. 8. Paper-folders. 9. Paper-cutters. 10. Paper flowers. 11. Origami, the art of fancy paper-folding. 11. The magic lantern (The Zoetrope). 12. The stirrup.13.
Porcelain. 14. Biological pest control. 15. The umbrella. 16. Matches.
17. Brandy and whisky (or "burnt wine," a literal translation of "shao chiu"). 18. The mechanical clock.19. Moveable
type printing. 20. Block printing. 21. Stone-rubbing. 22. Playing cards. 23. Paper money. 24. The spinning-wheel.
1. Circulation of the blood. 2.Use of thyroid harmones. 3. Variolation: inoculation against smallpox.
4. Acupuncture.
1. Solutions of higher numerical
equations. 2. Decimal fractions. 3. Using algebra in geometry. The so-called
"Pascal's" triangle (Blaise Pascal. 1623-1662), invented by Liu Ju-Hsieh,
1100 A.D.
1. The magnetic compass. 2. Dial and pointer (needles) devices. 3. Magnetic declination of the earth's magnetic field. 4. Magnetic remanence and induction.
1. Western box kite was developed from the Chinese kite. The Chinese kite also influenced Western bi-plane builders. 2. The relief map. 3. The parachute. 4. Miniature hot-air balloons.5. The rudder.
6. Multiple masts on ships, lug sails, and sailing techniques. 7. Watertight compartments in ships. 8. The helicopter rotor and the propeller. 9. The paddle-wheel boat. 10. Land sailing: carriages with sails. 11. The canal pound-lock.
1. Equal temperament in music.
1. Chemical warfare, poison gas, smoke bombs, and tear gas. 2. The crossbow. 3.
Gunpowder. 4. Flares, fireworks. 5. flint and steel land mine triggers. 6. The rocket, and multi-staged rockets. 7. Guns, cannons, mortars, and repeating guns.
For those who are not wholly conversant with the fields of modern science and technology and are, therefore, unable to fully appreciate the crucial role the Chinese inventions played in creating the "modern world," Robert G. K. Temple gives an example from the field of agriculture. He writes:
The Chinese themselves are as ignorant of this fact as Westerners. From the seventeenth century onwards, the Chinese became increasingly dazzled by European technological expertise, having experienced a period of amnesia regarding their own achievements. When the Chinese were shown a mechanical clock by Jesuit missionaries, they were awestruck. They had forgotten that it was they who had invented mechanical clocks in the first place!
It is just as much surprise for the Chinese as for Westerners to realize that modern agriculture, modern shipping, the modern oil industry, modern astronomical observatories, modern music, decimal mathematics, paper money, umbrellas, fishing reels, wheelbarrows, multi-stage rockets, guns, underwater mines, poison gas, parachutes, hot-air balloons, manned flight, brandy, whisky, the game of chess, printing, and even the essentials of the steam engine, all came form China.
Without the importation from China of nautical and navigational improvements such as ships' rudders, the compass and multiple masts, the great European Voyages of Discovery could never have been undertaken. Columbus would not have sailed to America, and Europeans would never have established colonial empires. The European agricultural revolution, which laid the basis for Industrial revolution, came about only because of the importation of Chinese ideas and inventions. The growing of crops in rows, intensive howing of weed, the "modern" seed dril, the iron plow, the moldboard to turn the plowed soil, and efficient harnesses were all imported from China. Before the arrival from China of the trace harness and collar harness, Westerners choked their horses with straps round their throats. Although ancient Italy could produce plenty of grain, it could not be transported overland to Rome for lack of satisfactory harnesses. Rome depended on shipment of grain by sea from places like Egypt. As for sowing methods--probably over half of Europe's seed was wasted before the Chinese idea of the seed drill came to the attention of the Europeans. Countless millions of farmers throughout European history broke their backs and their spirits by plowing with ridiculously poor plows, while for two thousand years the Chinese were enjoying their relatively effortless method. Indeed, until two centuries ago, the West was so backward in agriculture compared to China, that the West was the Underdeveloped World in comparison to the Chinese Developed
World. The tables have now turned. But for how long? And what an uncomfortable realization it is that the West owes its very ability to eat today to the adoption of Chinese inventions two centuries ago (Temple, pp. 11-12).
And Temple concludes:
One of the greatest untold secrets of history is that the "modern" world in which we live is a unique synthesis of Chinese and Western ingredients. Possibly more than half of the basic inventions and discoveries upon which the "modern world" rests come from China. And yet so few people know this. Why?
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