"Spicy eyes"!Xu Guangqi Dai Song Dynasty official hat and lotus leakage for 700 years

Text ｜ Shi Xiaolei

Regarding the image problems in the research of scientific history, including the role of images in the process of scientific theory construction, and the functions of images in the process of scientific theory dissemination and acceptance, the academic community has many theoretical and research. It is a field of manifestation.

Today, I am not prepared to explain theoretically on this grand issue. Only a few examples are given and talked about it.

Ten years ago, when the author studied a doctorate, he studied the "Farmers Map" of the Yuan Dynasty.

This book is the amplifier of ancient agricultural appliances in my country. The most valuable part is that it attached many illustrations.

The book of the book has been lost. At present, the earliest version of the two versions is a version of the During the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty and a version of the Qiku Quanshu of the Qing Dynasty.

The "Farm Turtle Tag" has a great influence on the agricultural books of later generations. Xu Guangqi's "The Book of Agricultural Politics" in the Ming Dynasty and the "Times Term Test" in the Qing Dynasty officials directly quoted a large amount of content, including illustrations.

There is a phenomenon that some more complicated machinery, the early version was drawn wrong. As a result, Chen Chen Xiangyin was repeatedly drawn.

Today, some academic theories and popularizations are only pursuing "useism", regardless of whether the image is correct. The harm of the disadvantages, one to Si.

For example, the two types of silk cars in the middle and south of them are unavailable and operated according to the early version of the style, because the key mechanical structure is either missing or wrong.

After the postship, the secondary calendar will be reproduced. This has to make life doubt, how big the actual influence of this technical classics in ancient times.

Of course, the spread and acceptance of ancient technical knowledge is a complex issue. To a large extent, traditional craftsmen do not rely on the carrier of this technical classics, but rely on another way, such as the oral teachings between the teachers and apprentices in the industry in the industry. Wait.

Even so, the factors behind this serial error that explore ancient technical images are still a interesting and valuable topic.

For another example, Yan Su in the Northern Song Dynasty invented a multi -level leakage pot (time) — lotus leak. It can be said without exaggeration that all the ancient engravings involved in the image were drawn wrong.

Where is wrong? One of the prominent features of the lotus leakage is that in order to maintain the constant water flow of the leakage pot during the unit time, the drill system is used, that is, a water sideline pipe is set on one side of the lower (same "cabinet") -bamboo note Tube, drain the excess water below to the water reduction.

However, all the images draw the bamboo injection tube to the place where the cabinet is far away, and it does not play a role in diversion.

The original picture of the Song Dynasty in the lotus leakage is no longer existing. If the lotus leakage from the "Lin Guangji" from the Yuan Dynasty to the Shunshen, the error continued for nearly 700 years.

Yuan Ke's "Lin Guang Ji" was written in the time of the time invented by Yan Su invented by Yan Su in the Northern Song Dynasty. Photo confession

In fact, it is not only the images of these ancient machinery and instruments, but also the map.

In 1911, Ding Wenjiang, one of the founders of modern geology in my country, returned from the United Kingdom. It took nearly two months to examine the minerals in southwest of our country and hike from Kunming to Guizhou Town.

In the meantime, he found that there was a post road that penetrated the two provinces of Yunnan and Guizhou, all of which were marked with several maps in China, and this error could be traveled back to the missionaries in the Kangxi era.

In the above examples, on the one hand, it reflects the lack of scientific spirit; on the other hand, it reflects the stubborn illness due to old -fashioned and indifferent.

Back to the current readings, whether it is academic or popular, has the responsibility to correct them. If you feel that it is necessary to "maintain the original appearance", you should also comment or explain it. It made people go down.

Next, talk about the hardest hit area of ​​another image in the field of science: scientists portrait.

Prior to the invention of modern photography technology, well -known historical figures were mainly circulated by portraits. Of course, the carrier of the portrait has different forms.

However, scientists who can pass on portraits, including a certain period of the figures of the previous figures, are still less based on the status of the characters, and they are still relatively small.

With less stock, coupled with the long -lasting diaphragm, in terms of scientists, there are many jokes or oolongs in Chinese and Western. Let's take an example.

Xu Guangqi at the end of the Ming Dynasty was the first person in China and Western, and he was famous at home and abroad. Regarding his portrait, there are paintings in the Ming Dynasty and Western prints.

Although the well -known Western prints draw him as a foreigner, the official hat and clothing are generally close to the style of the Ming Dynasty.

In 1980, an unforgettable error happened.

At that time, China Post issued a set of commemorative stamps from ancient Chinese scientists. One of them was Xu Guangqi. The stamp was painted with Xu Guangqi's head, but the official hat was very spicy and it was the form of a scallion in the Song Dynasty.

This error is really unable to say, this is not a problem of the level of the artist, but the lack of basic historical common sense.

The problem is that this is not only the lack of common sense of the artist. As a commemorative stamp, how many people should lack common sense.

In 2004, British historian Lisa Jading also committed a ubon wrong case that could not be erased.

At that time, she published a biography of Hu Ke, the scientist who was very outstanding in the same era as Newton.

On the cover of the biography, she adopted a portrait of the London Nature History Museum.

But soon, U.S. chemist William Jinson pointed out that the portrait was not HK, but the Belgian chemist Haiermont, the scientist who completed the famous "willow tree experiment". In addition, this portrait was not only mistaken for Hick, but also mistakenly considered the 17th century British master John Lei.

It seems that the portrait left by Hu Ke is indeed an objective reason, but as a British historian and the biographical author of Hu Ke actually made the portraits of Hu Ke, is it too serious?

Belgian chemist Haiermont was mistaken for British scientist Hike. Photo confession

The purpose of history is to pursue the truth. But as far as the portrait of the creative scientists is concerned, on the basis of no historical materials, it can only be retired to meet the public's reasonable thoughts.

The so -called reasonable, which is in line with the identity and characteristics of historical figures. For example, the portraits of Zhang Heng, Zu Chong, monks, and Li Shizhen's portraits created by Jiang Zhaohe in the 1950s were more successful and have been widely spread and deeply rooted in the hearts of people.

The topic of scientific history and images can be extended to many aspects. Because the image has both visual impact and artistic creation factors, plus special expression objects -characters and events in the history of science, so tasting, interpretation, and interpretation of the past, the past and affection, the taste of the past, do not have a taste. Essence

(Author is an associate professor of General Education Center of Hunan Agricultural University)

"China Science News" (2022-06-17 The 4th edition of the original title "The" Those "Things" in the History of Science ")

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