Tiangong kaiwu technical encyclopedia
Enciclopedia técnica Tiangong kaiwu
- Date
- 1637 · confidence high
- Place
- Fenyi, Xinyu, Jiangxi, China
- Credited to
- Song Yingxing
- People
- 👤 Song Yingxing1587–1666
- Field
- Tools
What was discovered
An illustrated treatise on the productive techniques of Ming China: agriculture, salt, sugar, ceramics, smelting, paper, weapons, textiles and the smelting of zinc in retorts. It is the main source on pre-industrial Chinese technology.
It contains the earliest detailed description of zinc distillation in China; in India (Zawar) zinc was distilled earlier.
What it led to
- documentation of Chinese technology for modern historiography
- spread to Japan in the 18th century