Foreign Astral Sciences in China

Know about the book -

Foreign Astral Sciences in China is written by Bill M Mak and published by Routledge. It's available with International Standard Book Number or ISBN identification 1138477591 (ISBN 10) and 9781138477599 (ISBN 13).

This book explores the history of foreign astral science in China from the unique viewpoint of the knowledge introduced to the Middle Kingdom by monks, travellers, and merchants from different parts of Eurasia throughout the first millennium CE. By comparing the extant works in Chinese with parallel materials in their original languages, including texts in Sanskrit and Pāli for the Buddhist materials, and in other languages for works by the Nestorians, Zoroastrians, and Manicheans, this book fills a lacuna in the understanding of the role foreign scientific ideas played in Chinese and East Asian societies. Including full English translations of a number of Chinese texts of foreign origin for the first time, together with commentaries and the critically edited original Chinese texts, this book will appeal to students and scholars of the history of science, and Chinese history.