The Genesis and Broad Vision of "Science and Civilisation in China"

Key Insight

In May 1948, a twelve-page 'Preliminary plan' titled 'Science and Civilisation in China' was submitted to Cambridge University Press. This foundational document outlined a project aimed at 'all educated people, whether themselves scientists or not, who are interested in the history of science, scientific thought, and technology, in relation to the general history of civilisation, and especially the comparative development of Asia and Europe.'

The core intention was to comprehensively document China's entire history of science and its significant, yet under-recognized, contributions to the development of human science and civilization over thousands of years. It was posited that China had contributed more actively and to a greater degree than other nations, and this work aimed to provide evidence to sweep away the notion of China's historical isolation from global development.

Initially conceived as a single large volume, the project was readily accepted by Cambridge University Press, despite the understanding that it would be formidable, costly, and unlikely to yield profit for decades. However, reality soon necessitated a dramatic revision, expanding the scope to seven initial 'heavenly' volumes, each of which would later spawn numerous additional 'earthly' volumes due to the project's ever-increasing depth and complexity.