VMs: Re: China Moon

A good reference for this is:

Science and Civilization in China, Vol 3, by Joseph Needham (Cambridge Univ Press, 1959)

Needham has a good section on Chinese Astronomy,pg 171-461

The section: The Origin of the system of the Hsiu explains how the calendar worked.

Then on page 258/259 he writes:

Then a thousand years later, when the Jesuits reached China, they entirely misconceived the nature of the Chinese system. The Chinese had possessed from fairly early times a twelve fold division of the year and the equator, which being based upon hsiu and palaces, consisted of unequal parts. The Jesuits mistook these unequal divisions for distorted or degenerate Greek zodiacal signs, and aided by circumstances which happed to be favourable to them, proceeded to effect an unnecessary calendar-reform which struck a mortal blow at the ancient system.

There are about eight footnotes to this paragraph.

My interest in Chinese scientific history, is of course, to discover how much the Chinese learned from the Nabataean merchants that visited them, and how much the Nabataeans learned and took back to Arabia with them.

Dan