Introduction

History of Chinese Over the past few decades, the study of the
science on-line history of Chinese science has seen great
development. Under the influence of Joseph
Fan Ka Wai Needham and his ambitious project, ‘‘Science
and Civilization in China’’, more and more
scholars are contributing to the history of
Chinese science. Many international
conferences have taken place and many study
groups and societies organized. Needham’s
question - ‘‘Why did the scientific revolution
occur in Europe in the seventeenth century,
not in China, which was ahead of Europe in
science and technology a few centuries
earlier?’’ - has become an important issue in
The author the field of science history. The purpose of
this article is to collect useful and well-known
Fan Ka Wai is a Senior Tutor at the Chinese Civilisation
Web sites on the subject (not including
Center, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tang,
history of Chinese medicine) and introduce
Kowloon, Hong Kong.
them to interested people for their further
study.
Keywords
China, History, Science, Web sites
List of sources
Abstract
Joseph Needham home page
The study of the history of Chinese science has attracted URL: www2.soas.ac.uk/Needham/Home.html
further attention over the past 50 years, with an Language: English
increasing number of scholars, influenced by Joseph
Needham and his project ``Science and Civilization in The Needham Research Institute (NRI) is a
China’’, developing ideas in this field. There are a range of major group involved in the history of
Web sites which have been produced and are available to Chinese science. According to its own
the scholar of the history of Chinese science, and some of description (www.nri.ac.uk), it houses the
these are collected together and evaluated in this article. East Asian History of Science Library, and is
situated in Cambridge, England. It is the
home of the Science and Civilization in
Electronic access
China Project and welcomes researchers from
The Emerald Research Register for this journal is all over the world with an interest in the
available at history of science, medicine and technology in
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/researchregister East Asia. Joseph Needham (1900-1995)
The current issue and full text archive of this journal is devoted his life to the study of Chinese
available at science after the Second World War and set
http://www.emeraldinsight.com/0024-2535.htm up the NRI.
The Joseph Needham home page,
maintained by Dr Chris Cullen, senior
lecturer at the School of Oriental and African
Studies, University of London, and Deputy
Director of the Institute, is divided into five
parts: first, an introduction to the life and
contributions of Joseph Needham; second,
the past, present and future of the institute;
third, the details of the project; fourth, an
electronic version of the institute’s newsletter;
Library Review
and fifth, a link to the East Asian History of
Volume 52 . Number 4 . 2003 . pp. 145-149
# MCB UP Limited . ISSN 0024-2535 Science Library home page, which was set up
DOI 10.1108/00242530310470702 by Joseph Needham and collects resources on
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East Asian science history. The site describes database for ancient Chinese astronomy, and
resources available at the institute. The library news of the institute. There is a special place
holds a great number of books, articles and for researchers to put their new papers onto
offprints and the catalogues can be accessed the Web. It also provides access to the library
through the Web page. catalogues and allows searching of the
If you want to know more about Joseph catalogues of History of Natural Science and
Needham and his contribution, you may also China Historical Materials of Science and
refer to Maurice Cowling, ‘‘Joseph Needham Technology.
and the history of Chinese science’’ (www.
newcriterion.com/archive/11/feb93/cowling. Chinese Society for the History of
htm). Science and Technology
URL: www.ihns.ac.cn/xuehui/society.htm
Language: Chinese
Study group for the history and
The site presents information about the
philosophy of Chinese science and
society, including academic activities, a
technology, Technical University Berlin
newsletter, and achievements.
URL: http://station7.kgw.tu-berlin.de/
engindex.html
Center for Science and Technology
Language: English
Resources, National Tsing-hua
This site was created as a resource for University
students and staff of the Technical University URL: www.lib.nthu.edu.tw/STS/index.html
in Berlin, Germany. According to its own Language: Chinese
description, the university has traditionally
The Institute of History, National Tsing-hua
engaged in research and education on
University, is an important party in the field
problems of the western world. The study
of science history in Taiwan. The Center for
group was established in April 1993 with the
Science and Technology Resources was set up
intention of forging links between western
to collect resources on the history of science.
and Chinese civilizations, contributing to a
The site introduces the collections and
mutual understanding. Scholars and scientists
databases of the center.
from both ends of the world work together
here on the history and philosophy of their
Taiwan STS Network
own and each other’s civilizations. The site
URL: http://sts.nthu.edu.tw/
contains information on the course syllabuses,
Language: Chinese
members of the study group, research
projects, and conferences. The site also Taiwan STS network is organized by a group
offers excellent guides to organizations of scholars who are interested in the study of
of Sinology in Europe, libraries, study science and technology and related fields.
groups and a directory of history of science One of the characteristics of the site is that it
Web sites. offers discussion boards organized by
different scholars. Discussion topics include
‘‘Medicine and social education’’ and
The Institute for the History of Natural ‘‘Medicine and healing’’.
Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences
URL: www.ihns.ac.cn Science ‘‘history’’ culture
Language: Chinese URL: http://jd.sjtu.edu.cn/shcp/index.html
Language: Chinese
The Institute for the History of Natural
Science is the most crucial institute in the This site is maintained by Professor Jiang
field of history of science in China. The Xiaoyuan, who teaches in the Department of
institute is a sub-institute of the China History and Philosophy of Science, Shanghai
Academy for Science, and has a large number Jiao Tong University, Shanghai and is a
of researchers who are pursuing different well-known scholar of the history of Chinese
topics on the history of science. The site plays astronomy. It provides a great deal of
a role in sharing information on the history of information on the history and philosophy of
Chinese science. It contains publications, Chinese science, offering many articles
researcher information, research projects, a written by specialists.
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The Golden Elixir: a Web site on Chinese Donald B. Wagner is a specialist on the
alchemy history of iron and steel in ancient China. He
URL: http://helios.unive.it/~dsao/pregadio/ teaches in the Department of Asian Studies,
index.html University of Copenhagen. His research is
Language: English very fruitful and valuable, and the Web site
Fabrizio Pregadi, teaching at the Technical contains electronic versions of his books and
articles. For anyone wanting to know about
University, Berlin, Germany, maintains this
the history of iron in ancient China, this Web
site. According to its own description, it is an
site cannot be ignored.
introduction to some of the facets of the
history and doctrines of Chinese alchemy.
Huang Yi-long’s home page
Chinese alchemy and Chinese medicine have
URL: http://vm.rdb.nthu.edu.tw/ylh/
a very close relationship as the purpose of
Language: Chinese
alchemy is to obtain a long life. The site
consists of a collection of articles and book Professor Yi-long Huang teaches at the
reviews written by Pregadi, primary sources, Institute of History, National Tsing-hua
bibliographic tools and other materials. University. His research interests are the
Pregadi also compiled the very useful and history of Chinese astronomy and astrology
detailed bibliography of western-language and the history of Christianity in the
studies on Chinese alchemy and the Taoist Ming-Qing periods. The site provides his CV,
canon: A Guide to Studies and Reference Works. publications and course information. Most of
This site is highly recommended. his articles (full text) can be found and read
on the site.
Mathematics in China
URL: http://aleph0.clarku.edu/~djoyce/mathhist/ Horng Wan-Sheng’s home page
china.html URL: http://math.ntnu.edu.tw/~horng
Language: English Language: Chinese

Maintained by David E. Joyce, Department of Professor Horng Wan-Sheng teaches in the

Mathematics and Computer Science, Clark Department of Mathematics, National
University, Massachusetts, the site contains a Normal University, Taiwan. His research
brief outline of the history of Chinese interest is the history of mathematics,
mathematics from the pre-Qin period to the especially Chinese mathematics. His Web site
Qing dynasty, a chronology of contains his publications on the history of
mathematicians and mathematical works, Chinese mathematics.
selected on-line references and a
bibliography. China water science information
network
History of science: traditional URL: www.chinawater.net.cn/CWSnet/
mathematics in Eastern Asia History.html
URL: http://www.nkfust.edu.tw/~jochi/ Language: Chinese
Language: Chinese, English, Japanese The site is a primary source on water science
This site is the personal home page of in China, including famous water science
Professor Shigeru Jochi, National Kaohsiung projects, chronologically arranged water
First University of Science and Technology. disasters from 1840 to the present, and water
Professor Jochi’s research focuses on the science in Chinese history.
history of mathematics and astronomy in
ancient China. The Web site offers a A selected, annotated bibliography of
Chinese science and medicine: sources in
bibliography on the history of science before
western languages
1900, a photo library, published papers and
URL: http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~nsivin/nakbib.
Jochi’s CV. All his papers can be found and
html
read on this site.
Language: English
Donald B. Wagner’s home page Professor Sivin Nathan is a renowned
URL: http://staff.hum.ku.dk/dbwagner/ scholar in the field of the history of Chinese
Language: English science. He is currently teaching in the
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Department of History and Sociology of seminars, grants, and fellowships. Founded in

Science, University of Pennsylvania. He 1975, the society is a scholarly, professional
provides a very detailed bibliography that organization that aims to facilitate contact
covers science and medicine in traditional and and an exchange of information among
modern China. It is a good source for anyone scholars who are interested in the subject
interested in the history of Chinese science area.
studies. His Web site also introduces his
personal information and publications. Some History and culture of agriculture in
of his publications can be read on the Web. China
URL: http://agri-history.net/
Bibliography of Chinese science Language: Chinese
URL: www.sscnet.ucla.edu/history/elman/ This site is very comprehensive and useful,
ClassBib/10hist.htm#10-15
including an outline history of agriculture,
Language: English
agricultural classics, research projects,
This site, maintained by Benjamin Elman, research articles, institutes, journals,
includes a bibliography of the history of conferences, and news.
Chinese science.
China the beautiful
Philosophy and the History of Science: URL: www.chinapage.com/big5/big5-science.
a Taiwanese journal html
URL: http://sts.nthu.edu.tw/dwfu/taiwan/ Language: Chinese
index.html
This site collects electronic versions of
Language: English
Chinese classics, including history of Chinese
This journal was published in Taiwan from science classics such as Zhou bi suan jing (the
1992 until 1995 and provided an Zhou gnomon), Jiu zhang suan jing (nine
international forum for debates on various chapters on the mathematical arts), Shan hai
topics on the history and philosophy of jing (classic of mountains and seas), Luoyang
science. This site contains tables of contents qie lan ji (record of the monasteries of
for past issues. The editor is Professor Fu Luoyang), Qi min yao shu (techniques
Daiwie, who teaches at the Institute of essential for the subsistence of common
History, National Tsing-hua University. His people), and Jing Chu sui shi ji (annual
research interests are the history and customs and festivals in Jing-Chu region).
philosophy of Chinese science, history of
Chinese mathematics and Mengxi bitan Center for historical geographical
(Brush Talks from the Dream Brook). You studies, Fudan University
will find his personal home page at http:// URL: http://yugong.fudan.edu.cn/chinesegb.asp
sts.nthu.edu.tw/dwfu/ Language: Chinese
The center is the most important institute for
East Asian Science, Technology and
historical geographical studies in China. The
Medicine
site is also called Yu Gong (the Tribute of Yu).
URL: www.uni-tuebingen.de/sinologie/eastm
Yu Gong means the origin of Chinese
Language: English
historical geography. The site not only
This site provides information on the journal, provides information on the center, but is also
East Asian Science, Technology and Medicine, an information center on Chinese historical
including contents of the latest issue. geography, offering research articles on the
Currently published at the University of Web. The center publishes Historical
Tübingen, Germany, the journal is the official Geography and its content is available on the
publication of the International Society for Web site.
the History of East Asian Science,
Technology and Medicine. It includes
articles and book reviews on the science, Conclusion
technology, and medicine of traditional and
contemporary East Asia, and provides From these Web sites, three points emerge.
information on publications, meetings, First, the history of science includes many
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topics such as physics, chemistry, and Third, Web sites that provide a comparative
biology, but these Web sites seem to focus on viewpoint of the history of Chinese science
one or two topics. Second, it is very important with the East, the West and Islam do not
for promoting the study of the history of exist. Interested scholars should set up more
Chinese science to have more electronic Web sites on various topics and provide
versions of the classics and primary sources electronic versions of the classics and primary
and to provide full-text articles on the Web. sources.

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