Exploitation of the Works of Nature(Tiangong Kaiwu)
《天工开物》
The author of Exploitation of the Works of Nature was Song Yingxing (1587-1663),born in Fengxin Country,Jiang Xi,a pubic official of the Ming Dynasty. Since 1634，when he became an official in charge of education，he started compiling this book using references to production techniques he had accumulated over an extended period of time. The book was published in 1637.Regarded as a "technological encyclopedia" by European scholars，Exploitation of the Works of Nature is the first comprehensive work on agricultural and handicraft production in the world. This 18-volume classic with 123 original illustrations and abundant annotations，thoroughly and systematically recorded the types，origins，processing and manufacturing techniques of various farm crops and industrial materials available in 17th century China. This book also covers，amongst other subjects，textiles，mining，metallurgy，chemical engineering，boat-building，paper-making and weapons manufacturing. It is a historical milestone in the technological progress of human kind. Some techniques were amongst the most advanced in the world at that time and they remain applicable，even today.
作者宋应星(1587-1663年)，字长庚，明江西奉新县人，出生在一个破落的官僚地主家庭。万历四十三年(1615 )，他考中举人，崇祯七年( 1634 )出任江西分宜县教育。这段时期，他把长期积累的生产技术等方面的知识加以总结整理，编著了《天工开物》一书，在崇祯十年(1637)刊行。《天工开物》是世界上第一部关于农业和手工业生产的综合性著作，被欧洲学者称为“技术的百科全书”。全书共18卷，全面系统地记述了我国古代各种农作物和工业原料的种类、产地、生产技术和工艺装备，以及一些生产组织经验。主要记载蚕丝棉竺的纺织和染色技术，车船的建造，金属的铸锻，造纸等五金开采及冶炼，兵器。其中记录了不少在当时居于世界前列的工艺措施和科学创见，堪称是一部关于我国古代农业和手工业生产技术的百科全书，在我国乃至世界科学技术史上都占有重要地位。书中记述的许多生产技术，一直沿用到近代。
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