Description
Book SynopsisIn Kao Gong Ji: The World’s Oldest Encyclopaedia of Technologies, Guan Zengjian and Konrad Herrmann offer an English translation and commentary of the first technological encyclopaedia in China. This work came into being around the 5th century C.E. and contains descriptions of thirty technologies used at the time. Most prominent are bronze casting, the manufacture of carriages and weapons, a metrological standard, the making of musical instruments, and the planning of cities. The technologies, including the manufacturing process and quality assurance, are based on standardization and modularization. In several commentaries, the editors show to which degree the descriptions of Kao Gong Ji correspond to archaeological findings. Revised and updated translation from the Chinese edition:《考工记: 翻译与评注》(ISBN: 978-7-313-12133-2) by Guan Zengjian, © Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press 2014. Published by Shanghai Jiao Tong University Press.
Table of ContentsContents Abbreviations and Conventions List of Illustrations List of Tables Preface Foreword Introduction 1 On Historical Editions and Commenting of “Kao Gong Ji” 2 Historical Background of “Kao Gong Ji” 3 Location and Period of Origin of “Kao Gong Ji” Part 1: The Text 卷上 (Part One) Part 1: Introduction Manufacture of Chariots 1 The Wheelmaker 2 The Carriage Carpenter 3 The Pole Carpenter 4 The Bronze Caster 5 Bronze Weapons 6 Bronze Bells 7 Measuring Standards 8 Agricultural Tools (Missing) 9 Leather 10 The Tanner 11 The Drum Maker 12 Tailor of Mourning Garments (Missing) 13 Furrier (Missing) 14 Paints 15 Dyer of Feathers 16 Dyer of Clothes and Silks (Missing) 17 Dyer of Silk 卷下 (Part Two) 18 Part 2: The Jade Polisher 19 Comb Maker (Missing) 20 Bone Carver (Missing) 21 The Manufacturer of Chimes 22 The Arrow Tip Manufacturer 23 The Potter 24 The Carpenter Ziren 25 The Weapon Carpenter 26 Construction Workers 27 The Carriage Manufacturer 28 The Bow Manufacturer Part 2: Analysis – Commentaries Commentary to 卷上 1 Manufacture of Carriages 2 Astronomy 3 Bronze Technology 4 Bronze Objects – Vessels, Weapons, Mirrors 5 Metrology 6 Musical Instruments Commentary to 卷下 7 Jade 8 Ceramics and Porcelain 9 Civil Engineering 10 Manufacture of Bows Bibliography Index of Personal and Geographical Names Index of Subjects
