What did Xu Guangqi invent?

Xu Guangqi didn't make any specific inventions, but he made contributions to astronomy and calendars, mathematics, agricultural books, firearms and so on.

1. Xu Guangqi's achievements in astronomical calendar mainly focus on the compilation of "Chongzhen Almanac" and various sparse plays written for calendar reform. In the almanac, he introduced the concept of round earth, and explicitly introduced the concepts of longitude and latitude of the earth.

2. When Xu Guangqi revised the calendar, he discussed the universality of mathematical application in detail. He put forward ten aspects ("Ten Things to Avoid"), namely: astronomical calendar, water conservancy project, temperament, weapons and military engineering art, accounting and financial management, various construction projects, machinery manufacturing, geographical survey, medicine, making clocks and watches and so on. It completely describes the extensive application of mathematics.

3. Xu Guangqi's greatest contribution to mathematics is the translation of Elements of Geometry (the first six volumes).

4. Agronomy works include The Complete Book of Agricultural Administration, Sweet Potato Sparse, Miscellaneous Agricultural Heritage Sparse, First Draft of Agricultural Books, Taixi Water Law, etc.

Sweet potato was introduced and planted in my hometown, and it was planted successfully many times. After the promotion in Shanghai, he expanded the planting scope of sweet potato to the whole country.

6. Write an encyclopedia of agricultural management.

7. Xu Guangqi also discussed the application of firearms in practice, firearms and city defense, firearms and siege, firearms and infantry and cavalry coordination.

Xu Guangqi: Positive influence on the formation of Shanghai culture.

Xu Guangqi's attitude is sincere and his consciousness is more advanced in his communication with scholars. Matteo Ricci's entry into China brought with him exotic western objects such as prisms and globes, which attracted scholars to communicate with each other for a time. However, such communication is mostly based on curiosity. To many people in China, these westerners are just "westerners".

Xu Guangqi, on the other hand, upholds Lu Jiuyuan's thought of "East Sea and West Sea, One Heart", breaks through the narrow national view, sincerely respects the knowledge of western scholars and regards them as mentors and friends.

There are more than 20 missionaries who had direct contact with Xu Guangqi, and there are clear historical records, from Italian, Portuguese, French, Spanish and other countries. Through the communication with these westerners, Xu Guangqi not only learned western scientific knowledge, but also had a certain understanding of western literature, philosophy, logic and customs, which not only broadened his thinking, but also broadened his horizons.

In addition to making friends with western scholars, Xu Guangqi also actively encouraged his disciples to associate with him. For example, in the first year of the apocalypse, he wrote a letter to his master Lu Shanji, asking him to consult western scholars, learn western skills and make western utensils. The letter also praised the teacher for "abandoning family studies, persuading people to be good and knowledgeable", and said that "it will be more beneficial to go to the door for help than to be enterprising."

Xu Guangqi's international mind has also had a positive impact on the formation of Shanghai culture in his hometown. Shanghai in the late Ming Dynasty was just a small county town in the rich Jiangnan area. However, as this is the hometown of Xu Guangqi, from the end of Wanli to the early years of Kangxi, as many as 34 western missionaries came to Shanghai, adding an international flavor to this county.

By the end of Qing Dynasty, the Jesuits who were once banned returned to China. In order to commemorate Xu Guangqi and inherit the great achievements at that time, Jesuits designated Xujiahui as the center of the missionary area in the south of the Yangtze River. They built many western-style institutions and buildings here, which promoted the modernization process of Shanghai.

Xu Guangqi is undoubtedly a pioneer with a world vision. Faced with the impact of globalization, he knows how to use each other's resources to help each other succeed, thus realizing the complementarity of eastern and western cultures. Willing to face up to different cultures and trying to understand and integrate may be the most vivid inspiration brought to us by this pioneer.

Baidu Encyclopedia-Xu Guangqi