Song Yingxing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Song Yingxing
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| Born | 1587 Yichun of Jiangxi, China
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| Died | 1666 |
| Known for | Encyclopedist, scientist |
Song Yingxing (1587-1666 AD) was a famous Chinese scientist and writer. He lived during the late Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). He wrote an amazing book called Tiangong Kaiwu. This book was like an encyclopedia, explaining how many different things were made. It even talked about how gunpowder weapons were used. A British historian named Joseph Needham called Song Yingxing "The Diderot of China." This means he was as important to China as Diderot was to Europe for collecting knowledge.
Contents
A Life of Learning
Song Yingxing was born in Yichun, China, in 1587. His family was once important but had lost some of its wealth. When he was 28, in 1615, he passed a big test to work for the government.
Trying for a Government Job
Song tried five times to pass an even harder test in the capital city. His last try was in 1631, when he was 44 years old. He never passed this top test. Because of this, he only held smaller jobs in the government.
How He Learned So Much
Even though he didn't get a big job, his many trips to the capital for the exams were very important. These trips helped him learn a lot about different crafts and jobs. He met many workers and learned how things were made. This knowledge helped him write his famous books later.
Life During Changing Times
Song Yingxing lived when the Ming Dynasty was ending. Even with problems, it was a time when people loved special handmade goods. The government also had rules and taxes on many of the industries Song wrote about. More people were learning to read and write, too. Many smart people believed in living a simple life and helping others. They thought it was good to study things like farming and crafts. This was because leaders were expected to care for regular people.
Song Yingxing's Books
Song Yingxing wrote several important books. His most famous one was an encyclopedia.
The Tiangong Kaiwu Encyclopedia
Song Yingxing's most famous book is Tiangong Kaiwu. Its name means The Exploitation of the Works of Nature. It was published in 1637. This book was special because it explained how many different things were made. It covered topics like farming, making clothes, mining, and even how to use gunpowder weapons.
Why This Book Was Special
Before Song's book, China had many encyclopedias. But Tiangong Kaiwu was different. It had many detailed pictures that showed how things worked. These pictures were much better than those in older Chinese encyclopedias. Also, Song Yingxing wrote about things he seemed to have seen himself. He didn't just copy from old books. This was new for his time.
The Book's Journey
After the Ming Dynasty ended, it was hard to find copies of Tiangong Kaiwu in China. This was because the new government (the Qing Dynasty) controlled some of the industries the book described. But luckily, original copies of the book were kept safe in Japan.
Ideas About the World
Song also wrote two books about his ideas on how the world works. He talked about two main ideas: qi and xing.
- Qi: Song thought of qi as a kind of invisible vapor or energy that is everywhere.
- Xing: He believed that solid things, like rocks, are made from qi.
Song thought that solid things (xing) would eventually turn back into qi. And qi would eventually go back to being nothing. But some things, like the sun and moon, always stayed as qi. Other things, like stones, always stayed solid (xing). And some things, like water and fire, were in between.
See also
- List of Chinese people
- History of science and technology in China
- Huolongjing
- History of gunpowder
- Gunpowder warfare
- History of agriculture
- History of ferrous metallurgy
- Wang Zhen (official)
