Strictly speaking, the Renaissance did not occur in China. However, in the Middle Kingdom there existed people of the Renaissance era, so to speak, and it seems that they also existed in times far earlier than that. The Han dynasty of the 1st and 2nd centuries had one such notable figure. Zhang Heng (78-139 AD)he was able to excel in a wide range of fields, from mathematics to astronomy, philosophy, and poetry. His achievements in science and technology included the invention of the first hydraulic celestial globe for observing celestial bodies, the improvement of a water clock with a secondary tank, a more detailed calculation of pi than had previously been possible in China, and discoveries about the nature of the moon. According to records, he also built the first-ever seismometer, a device for detecting earthquakes.
A visual explanation of Zhang’s design is ScienceWorld video above. According to the narrator, his seismometer “was called.” HoffendingeeThis means “instruments for measuring seasonal winds and the movement of the earth,” which could “roughly determine the direction in which an earthquake occurred.”
Each of the eight dragon heads (no more auspicious combination of numbers and creatures in China) holds a ball. As the ground shakes, the dragon pointing to the epicenter drops a ball into the mouth of an ornamental toad waiting below. As history records, once “earthquakes were detected 650 kilometers, or 400 miles away, that were not felt at the location of the seismograph.”
Not bad considering neither Zhang nor anyone else has heard of tectonic plates yet. But as any engineer knows, real devices often work well without a completely correct theory. Although no examples of Feidongyi remain from the Zhang era, “researchers believe that inside the seismograph there was a pendulum, a bronze ball below the pendulum, eight channels to move the dragon’s mouth, and eight levers.” A pendulum moving in response to the shock wave releases the ball in the opposite direction, causing the ball to roll down the channel and release the mouth at the end of the ball. No matter how innovative it was for its time, this plan, of course, could not provide accurate information about how far away the earthquake occurred, let alone predict it. Fortunately, centuries of Renaissance people were still looking ahead to understand all this.
Related content:
How the Ancient Greeks Invented the First Computer: Introduction to the Antikythera Machine (c. 87 BC)
Advanced technology in ancient Rome: automatic doors, water clocks, vending machines, etc.
See color photographs taken during the aftermath of San Francisco’s devastating 1906 earthquake.
China’s 8,000 Terracotta Warriors: An animated and interactive introduction to a great archaeological find
What ancient Chinese philosophy can teach us about the good life today: Lessons from popular Harvard professor Michael Puett
Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages and cultures. he is the author of the newsletter books about cities books as well Home page (I won’t summarize Korea) and korean newtro. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
