From the Jesuits’ treatises to the imperial compendium : The appropriation of the Tychonic system in seventeenth and eighteenth-century China

Abstract

The reception of the Tychonic system in late Ming and early Qing China is an important issue in both the history of Chinese astronomy and the history of scientific exchanges between East and West. In this article, a comprehensive re-exploration of this historical process is presented. The Chongzhen lishu (Chongzhen reign treatises on calendrical astronomy), which expounded Tycho Brahe’s methods, were revised more than once during the late Ming astronomical reform. Close examination of the different versions of these treatises reveals the presence of numerous errors and inconsistencies. Early Qing astronomers attempted to solve these problems when they studied the Chongzhen lishu, and some of them succeeded in producing improved procedures. Later, in order to end dependence on the Jesuits in scientific matters, the Kangxi emperor decided to have a new astronomical treatise compiled. As a result the Yuzhi lixiang kaocheng (Thorough investigation of astronomical phenomena, imperially composed) embodied major contributions by Chinese scholars.