Crop rotation 6th century BC
Crossbow 5th century BC
Crossbow, bronze triggers 300 BC
Crossbow, grid sight for 1st century AD
Crossbow, magazine 13th century AD
Dating of trees by number of rings 12th century AD
Decimal place value 13th century BC
Deep drilling and use of natural gas as fuel 2nd century BC
Diabetes, association with sweet and fatty foods 1st century BC
Dial and pointer 3rd century AD
Differential pressure
Diked/poldered fields 1st century BC
Disease, diurnal rhythms in 2nd century BC
Diseases, deficiency 3rd century AD
Dishing of carriage wheel
Distillation, of mercury 3rd century BC
Dominoes AD 1120
Down-draught 1st century BC
Dragon kiln 2nd century AD
Draw loom 1st century AD
Drum carriage 110 BC
Ephedrine 2nd century AD
Equal temperament, mathematical formulation of AD 1584
Equilibrium, theory of 4th century BC
Erosion and sedimentary deposition, knowledge of AD 1070
Esculentist movement (edible plants for time of famine) AD 1406
Ever-normal granary system AD 9
Fertilizers 2nd century BC
Firecrackers AD 290
Firelance AD 950
Flame test
Flamethrower (double-acting force pump for liquids) AD 919
Folding chairs 3rd century AD
Free reed 1000 BC
Fumigation 7th century BC
Furnace, reverberatory 1st century BC
Gabions 3rd century BC
Gauges, rain and snow AD 1247
Gear wheels, chevron-toothed AD 50
Ginning machine, hand-cranked, and treadle 17th century AD
Gluten from wheat AD 530
Gold, purple sheen 200 BC
Grafting AD 806
Gravimetry AD 712
Great Wall of China 3rd century BC
Grid technique, quantitative, used in cartography AD 130
Guan xien system 240 BC
Gunpowder, firecracker and fireworks 12th century AD
Gunpowder, formula for 9th century AD
Gunpowder, government’s department and monopoly on 14th century AD
Gunpowder, used in mining Ming
Handcarts 681 BC
Handgun AD 1128
Harness, breast strap 250 BC
Harness, collar AD 477
Helicopter top AD 320
High temperatures, firing of clay at 2nd millennium BC
Hodometer 110 BC
Holing-irons AD 584
‘Hot streak’ test AD 1596
Hygrometer 120 BC
Indeterminate analysis 4th century AD
Interconversion of longitudinal and rotary motion AD 31
Kite 4th century BC
Knife, rotary disk, for cutting jade 12th century AD
Lacquer 13th century BC
Ladders, extendable 4th century BC
Leeboards and centreboards AD 751
Lodestone, south-pointing ladle AD 83
Magic mirrors 5th century AD
Magic squares AD 190
Magnetic declination noted AD 1040
Magnetic thermoremanence and induction AD 1044
Magnetic variation observed AD 1436
Magnetism, used in medicine AD 970
Malt sugar, production of 1st millennium BC
Mangonel 4th century BC
Maps, relief AD 1086
Maps, topographical 3rd century BC
Masts, multiple 3rd century AD
Matches (non-striking) AD 577
Melodic composition AD 475
Metal amalgams used to fill cavities AD 659
Metals, to oxides, burning of 5th century BC
Metals, densities of 3rd century AD
Mill, wagon AD 340
Mills, edge-runner 200 BC
Mills, edge-runner, water-power applied 4th century AD
Mining, differential pressure ventilation 5th century BC
Mining, square sets for 5th century BC
Mirror with ‘light penetration surface’ 11th century BC
Mould board 2nd century BC
Mountings, vertical and horizontal 1st century AD
Mouth-organs 9th century BC
Moxibustion 3rd century BC
Multiple-spindle silk-twisting frame AD 1313
Negative numbers, operations using 1st century AD
Noodles (filamentous) including bread AD 100
Nova, recorded observation of 13th century BC
Numerical equations of higher order, solution of 13th century AD
Oil lamps, economic 9th century AD
Paktong (cupronickel) AD 230
Paper (invention of ) 300 BC
Paper, money 9th century AD
Paper, toilet AD 589
Paper, wall 16th century AD
Paper, wrapping 2nd century BC
Parachute principle 8th century AD
‘Pascal’ triangle of binomial coefficients AD 1100
Pasteurization of wine AD 1117
Pearl-fishing conservancy 2nd century AD
Pearls in oysters, artificial induction of AD 1086
‘Pi’, accurate estimation of 3rd century AD
Piece moulding for casting bronze 2nd millenium BC
Place-value number system 13th century BC
Placenta used as source of oestrogen AD 725
Planispheres AD 940
Plant protection, biological AD 304
Planting in rows 3rd century BC
Playing cards AD 969
Polar-equatorial coordinates 1st century BC
Polar-equatorial mounting of astronomical instruments AD 1270
Porcelain 3rd century BC
Potassium, flame-test used in identifying 3rd century AD
Pound-lock canal gates AD 984
Preservation of corpses 166 BC
Printing, bronze type AD 1403
Printing, movable earthenware type on paper 11th century AD
Printing, multicolour 12th century AD
Printing, with wood-blocks 7th century AD
Propeller oar, self-feathering AD 100
Prospecting, biogeochemical 6th century AD
Prospecting, geological 4th century BC
Qin and se zither
Recording of sun halves, parhelic spectres, and Lowitz arcs AD 635
Reel on fishing rod 3rd century AD
Refraction 4th century BC
Rocket arrow 13th century AD
Rocket arrow launchers AD 1367
Rocket arrows, winged AD 1360
Rockets, two-stage AD 1360
Roller-harrows AD 880
Rotary ballista ad 240
Rotary fan 1st century BC
Sailing carriage 16th century AD
Sails, mat-and-batten 1st century AD
Salvage, underwater AD 1064
Seawalls AD 80
Seed, pretreatment of 1st century BC
Seed drill, multiple-tube AD 155
‘Seedling horse’ 11th century AD
Seismograph AD 132
Ships, construction principle of 1st century BC
Ships, paddle-wheel 5th century AD
Silk, earliest spinning of 2850 BC
Silk reeling machine AD 1090
Silk warp doubling and throwing frame 10th century AD
Sluices 3rd century BC
Sluices, riffles AD ded to 11th century AD
Smallpox, inoculation against 10th century AD
Smokescreens AD 178
Snow crystals, six-sided symmetry of 135 BC
Soil science (ecology) 5th century BC
South-pointing carriage AD 120
Soybean, fermented 200 BC
Spindle wheel 5th century BC
Spindle wheel, multiple spindle 11th century AD
Spindle wheel, treadle-operated 1st century AD
Spooling frame AD 1313
Sprouts, for medicinal and nutritional purposes 2nd century BC
Square-pallet chain pump AD 186
Stalactites and stalagmites, records of 4th century BC
Stars, proper motion of AD 725
Steamers, pottery 5th millennium BC
Steel production, cofusion method of 6th century AD
Sterilization by steaming AD 980
Steroids, urinary AD 1025
Still, Chinese-type 7th century AD
Stirrup AD 300
Stringed instruments 9th century BC
Tea, as drink 2nd century BC
Thyroid treatment 1st century BC
Tian yuan algebraic notation AD 1248
Tilt-hammer, water-powered spoon AD 1145
Toothbrush 9th century AD
Trebuchet (simple) 4th century BC
Trip hammers 2nd century BC
Trip hammers, water-powered AD 20
Vinegar 2nd century BC
Water mills, geared 3rd century AD
Waterwheel, horizontal AD 31
Weather vane 120 BC
Wet copper method 11th century AD
Wheelbarrow, centrally mounted 30 BC
Wheelbarrow, with sails 6th century AD
Windlass, well 120 BC
Windows, revolving 5th century BC
Winnowing machine 1st century BC
Wu tong black palatinated copper 15th century AD
Zoetrope AD 180
Appendix II: States, Kingdoms, and Dynasties of China
Principal unified states in capitals.
Xia Kingdom 2000–1520 BC
Shang Kingdom 1520–1027 BC
Western Zhou 1027–771 BC
Eastern Zhou 771–221 BC
FIRST UNIFICATION QIN 221–207 BC
WESTERN HAN 206 bcAD 9
Xin interregnum AD 925
EASTERN HAN AD 25220
First partition Three Kingdoms AD 220–265
SECOND UNIFICATION WESTERN JIN AD 265–316
EASTERN JIN AD 317–420
Second partitio Southern Song AD 420–478
Southern Qi AD 479–501
Southern Liang AD 502–556
Southern Chen AD 557–588
Northern Wei AD 386–553
Eastern Wei AD 534–549
Western Wei AD 535–557
Northern Qi AD 550–577
Northern Zhou AD 557–588
THIRD UNIFICATION SUI AD 580–618
TANG AD 618–907
Third partition Five Dynasties AD 907–960
Ten Kingdoms AD 907–979
FOURTH UNIFICATION SONG AD 960–1279
LIAO AD 916–1125
WESTERN XIA AD 1038–1227
JIN (Tartar) AD 1115–1234
YUAN (Mongol) AD 1279–1368
MING AD 1368–1644
QING AD 1644–1911
REPUBLIC OF CHINA AD 1911–1949
PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC AD 1949–PRESENT
Suggested Further Reading
The bulk of Joseph Needham’s personal papers are held at the University Library, Cambridge, where all have been catalogued and most are available for inspection. A few personal files remain closed at the discretion of the librarian until 2045 A small number of documents relating specifically to college business are held in the archives of Gonville and Caius College. Documents relating to Needham’s involvement in the Korean War are held in the library of the Imperial War Museum, London. Papers relating to the creation of the series Science and Civilisation in China are held at the Needham Research Institute, Cambridge. Cataloguing was completed in July 2007 Dorothy Needham’s personal papers are held by Girton College, Cambridge.
Beaton, Cecil. Far East. London: Batsford, 1945.
Bergsten, C. Fred, et al. China: The Balance Sheet. What the World Needs to Know Now about the Emerging Superpower. Center for Strategic and International Studies and Institute for International Economics. New York: PublicAffairs, 2006
Brady, Anne-Marie. Friend of China: The Myth of Rewi Alley. London: RoutledgeCurzon, 2003
Brady, Anne-Marie.Making the Foreign Serve China: Managing Foreigners in the People’s Republic. Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2003
Brooke, Christopher N. L. A History of the University of Cambridge. Vol. IV: 1870–1990. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1993.
Broomhall, A. J. Strong Tower. London: China Inland Mission, 1947.
Brunero, Donna. Britain’s Imperial Cornerstone in China: The Chinese Maritime Customs Service, 1854–1949. London: Routledge, 2006.
Bukharin, N. I., et al. Science at the Crossroads: Papers from the Second International Congress of the History of Science and Technology, 1931. Foreword, Joseph Needham. London: Frank Cass, 1971
The Caian: The Annual Record of the Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, 1 October 2003–30 September 2004. Cambridge: Gonville and Caius College, 2004
Chambers, James. The Devil’s Horsemen: The Mongol Invasion of Europe. London: Weidenfeld and Nicolson, 1979
Ch’ang Chiang Pilot, 3rd ed. London: Royal Navy Hydrographic Department, 1954
Chang, Gordon G. Nuclear Showdown: North Korea Takes On the World. New York: Random House, 2006
Chang, Iris. Thread of the Silkworm. New York: Basic Books, 1995.
Chang, Iris. The Rape of Nanking: The Forgotten Holocaust of World War II. New York: Basic Books, 1997
Chang, Jung. Qian Zhongshu: Fortress Besieged. London: Penguin, 1979.
Chang, Jung, and Jon Halliday. Mao: The Unknown Story. New York: Knopf, 2005
Chang, Raymond, and Margaret Scrogin Chang. Speaking of Chinese: A Cultural History of the Chinese Language. New York: Norton, 1978
Chen, Guidi, and Wu Chuntao. Will the Boat Sink the Water? The Life of China’s Peasants. New York: PublicAffairs, 2006
Cheng, Pei-kai, et al. The Search for Modern China: A Documentary Collection. New York: Norton, 1999
Chow, Tse-tung. The May Fourth Movement: Intellectual Revolution in Modern China. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1960
Clegg, Arthur. Aid China 1937–1949: A Memoir of a Forgotten Campaign. Beijing: New World, 1989
Collis, Maurice. Foreign Mud: An Account of the Opium War.
London: Faber and Faber, 1946
Collis, Maurice. The Great Within. Freeport, NY: Books for Libraries, 1970
Colquhoun, Archibald R. China in Transformation. New York: Harper, 1898
Cronin, Vincent. The Wise Man from the West. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1955.
Crow, Carl. Handbook for China. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1984
Cullen, Christopher. The Dragon’s Ascent: The Civilisation the World Forgot. Hong Kong: PCCW IMS, 2001
Dalley, Jan. The Black Hole: Money, Myth, and Empire. London: Penguin, 2006
Dawson, Raymond. The History of Human Society: Imperial China, ed. J. H. Plumb. London: Hutchinson, 1972
Dyer Ball, J. Things Chinese. Hong Kong: Oxford University Press, 1982.
Elcoat, Geoffrey. A Brief History of the Vicars of Thaxted. Thaxted, Essex: Elcoat, 1999
Elvin, Mark. The Retreat of the Elephants: An Environmental History of China. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2004
Endicott, Stephen, and Edward Hagerman. The United States and Biological Warfare: Secrets from the Early Cold War and Korea. Bloomington: Indiana University Press, 1998
Epstein, Israel. From Opium War to Liberation. Peking: New World, 1956.
Fairbank, John K., and Denis Twitchett, eds. The Cambridge History of China, 15 vols. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1986—.
Fei, Hsiao-tung. China’s Gentry: Essays on RuralUrban Relations, ed. Margaret Park Redfield. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1953
Feifer, George. Breaking Open Japan: Commodore Perry, Lord Abe, and American Imperialism in 1853. New York: Smithso
nian Books and HarperCollins, 2006
Fenby, Jonathan. Generalissimo: Chiang Kai-shek and the China He Lost. London: Free Press, 2003
Feuerwerker, Albert. China’s Early Industrialization: Sheng Hsuan-huai (18441916) and Mandarin Enterprise. New York: Atheneum, 1970 (1958).
Fleming, Peter. The Siege at Peking. London: Rupert Hart-Davis, 1959.
Friedel, Robert. A Culture of Improvement: Technology and the Western Millennium. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 2007
Garrett, Martin. Cambridge: A Cultural and Literary History. Oxford: Signal, 2004
Girardot, Norman J. The Victorian Translation of China: James Legge’s Oriental Pilgrimage. Berkeley: University of California Press, 2002.
Goldsmith, Maurice. Joseph Needham: Twentieth-Century Renaissance Man. Paris: UNESCO, 1995
Goullart, Peter. Princes of the Black Bone: Life in the Tibetan Borderland. London: John Murray, 1959
Gribbin, John. History of Western Science, 1543–2001. London: Folio Society, 2006
Guest, Captain Freddie. Escape from the Bloodied Sun. London: Jarrolds, 1956
Habib, S. Irfan, and Dhruv Raina. Situating the History of Science: Dialogues with Joseph Needham. New Delhi: Oxford University Press, 1999
Hahn, Emily. China to Me. Boston, MA: Beacon, 1944
Han, Suyin. Destination Chungking. London: Mayflower, 1969
Harman, Peter, and Simon Mitton, eds. Cambridge Scientific Minds. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2002
Herzog, Maurice. Annapurna: Conquest of the First 8000-Metre Peak. London: Jonathan Cape and Book Society, 1952
Hibbard, Peter. The Bund: Shanghai. Hong Kong: Odyssey Books and Guides, 2007
Hinton, William. Fanshen: A Documentary of Revolution in a Chinese Village. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1966
Ho, Peng Yoke. Reminiscence of a Roving Scholar: Science, Humanities, and Joseph Needham. Singapore: World Scientific, 2005
Hogg, George. I See a New China. Boston, MA: Little, Brown, 1944.
‘Holorenshaw, Henry’ [pen name for Joseph Needham]. The Levellers and the English Revolution. Foreword, Joseph Needham. London: Victor Gollancz, 1939
Hook, Brian, ed. The Cambridge Encyclopedia of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1982.
Hsiung, James C., and Steven I. Levine, eds. China’s Bitter Victory: The War with Japan, 1937–1945. Armonk, NY: Sharpe, 1992
Huang, Ray. 1587: A Year of No Significance – The Ming Dynasty in Decline. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 1981
Huang, Ray. China: A Macro History. Armonk, NY: Sharpe, 1997.
Ingram, Jay. The Velocity of Honey: And More Science of Everyday Life. New York: Thunder’s Mouth, 2003
Israel, John. Student Nationalism in China, 1927–1937. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 1966