中國發明的歷史過去現在和未來中國藝術創新的現狀_風聞

【來源龍騰網】

正文原創翻譯：

LARRY ROMANOFF · OCTOBER 24, 2019

China as a nation has the longest and by far the most vast record of inventions in the history of the world. It is now reliably estimated that more than 60% of all the knowledge existing in the world today originated in China, a fact swept under the carpet by the West.

Joseph Needham, a British biochemist, scientific historian, and professor at Cambridge University, is widely rated as one of the most outstanding intellectuals of the 20th century. Chinese students visiting at Cambridge repeatedly informed him that Western scientific methods and discoveries discussed in his classes originated in China centuries before. Needham was so intrigued that he became fully fluent in Chinese, then travelled to China to investigate. He discovered voluminous evidence of the truth of those claims and decided to remain in China to write a book to document what he deemed a discovery of great importance to the world. Needham never completed his task of cataloguing the history of Chinese invention. His one book became 26 books and he died in 1995, with his work still continued today by his students. One good introduction to this topic is Robert Temple’s summary of Needham’s work.[1]

中國是一個擁有世界歷史上最長迄今為止最為廣博的發明記錄的國家。據可靠的估計，當今世界現有的知識中有60%以上起源於中國，而這一事實被西方掩蓋了。

約瑟夫·尼德汗（譯者注：在中國廣為人知的是他的漢名李約瑟，所著《中國科學技術史》對西方瞭解中國及交流產生重要影響），英國生物化學家、科學歷史學家、劍橋大學教授，被公認為20世紀最傑出的知識分子之一。訪問劍橋的中國學生反覆告訴他，他課堂上討論的西方科學方法和發現起源於幾個世紀前的中國。李約瑟對此非常感興趣，以至於他能説一口流利的中文，然後前往中國進行考察。他發現了大量證據證明這些説法的真實性，並決定留在中國寫一本書，記錄他認為對世界具有重大意義的發現。李約瑟從未完成編目中國發明史的任務。他的一本書變成了26本書，他於1995年去世，他的學生仍然在繼續他的工作。羅伯特·坦普爾(Robert Temple)（譯者注：著名科學哲學家，所著《天狼星之謎》最為著名，著有《中國的一百個世界第一》對李約瑟的著作進行了提煉濃縮）對李約瑟著作的總結是對這一主題的一個很好的介紹。

We were all taught in school that the printing press with movable type was invented in Germany by Johannes Gutenberg in about the year 1550. Not so. China not only invented paper but also the printing press with movable set type, which was in common use in China 1,000 years before Gutenberg was born. Similarly, we were taught that Englishman James Watt invented the steam engine. He did not. Steam engines were in widespread use in China 600 years before Watt was born. There are dated ancient texts and drawings to illustrate and prove the Chinese discovered and documented “Pascal’s Triangle” 600 years before Pascal copied it, and the Chinese enunciated Newton’s First Law of Motion 2,000 years before Newton.

The same is true for thousands of inventions that the West now claim as theirs but where conclusive documentation exists to prove that they originated in China hundreds and sometimes thousands of years before the West copied them. It was not for nothing that Marco Polo is described in China as “Europe’s great thief”. The next few paragraphs are adapted mainly from information in Temple’s book, which I strongly recommend.

我們在學校裏都學過，活字印刷機是約在1550年由德國的約翰內斯·古騰堡發明的。不是這樣的。中國不僅發明了紙，還發明瞭活字印刷術，在古騰堡出生前1000年，活字印刷術在中國就已普遍使用。同樣，我們被告知英國人詹姆斯·瓦特發明了蒸汽機。但並非如此。在瓦特出生600年前，蒸汽機就在中國廣泛使用了。中國發現並記載“帕斯卡三角”的時間比帕斯卡早了600年，提出牛頓第一運動定律的時間比牛頓早了2000年。

同樣的情況也發生在成千上萬的發明上，西方現在聲稱這些發明是他們的，但有確鑿的文件證明它們起源於中國，在西方複製它們之前數百年甚至數千年。馬可波羅在中國被稱為“歐洲大盜”並非沒有道理。下面幾段主要改編自坦普爾書中的信息，我強烈推薦這本書。

The Chinese invented the decimal number system, decimal fractions, negative numbers, and the zero, so far in the past that the origin is lost in the mists of time. The Chinese tracked sunspots and comets with such detail and accuracy that these ancient records are still used as the basis for their prediction and observation today. The Chinese were drilling for natural gas about 2,500 years ago, wells 4,800 feet deep, with bamboo pipelines to deliver the gas to nearby cities. The Chinese pioneered the mining and use of coal long before it was known in the West. Marco Polo and Arab traders marveled at the “black stone” that the Chinese mined from the ground, that would burn slowly during an entire night.

中國人發明了十進制數制、十進制分數、負數和零，其起源已湮沒在時間的迷霧中。中國人對太陽黑子和彗星的追蹤非常詳細和準確，這些古老的記錄至今仍被用作天文預測和觀測的基礎。中國人在大約2500年前就開始鑽探天然氣，井深4800英尺，用竹製管道將天然氣輸送到附近的城市。早在西方知道煤炭之前，中國人就率先開採和使用煤炭。馬可波羅和阿拉伯商人對中國人從地下開採的“黑石”感到驚訝，這種“黑石”可以在整個晚上慢慢燃燒。

China had printed paper money almost 1,500 years ago, done in ways to prevent counterfeiting. Wrapping paper, paper napkins and toilet paper were all in general use in China 2,000 years before the West could produce them. They were the first to invent and develop a full mechanical clock with a true escapement, many centuries before the Swiss had done so. The Chinese invented an ingenious seismograph still in use that tells not only the severity but the direction and distance of earthquakes. The Chinese invented hot-air balloons, the parachute, manned flight with kites, the wheelbarrow and matches. They invented hermetically-sealed laboratories for scientific experiments. They invented belt and chain drives, the paddlewheel steamer, the helicopter rotor and the propeller, the segmental-arch bridge. They invented the use of water power and chain pumps, the crank handle, all the construction methods for suspension bridges, sliding calipers, the fishing reel, image projection, magic lanterns, the gimbal system of suspension. China not only invented spinning wheels, carding machines and looms, but was the world’s leader in technical innovations in textile manufacturing, more than 700 years before Britain’s 18th century textile revolution.

中國早在1500年前就開始印製紙幣，目的是為了防止造假。在西方能夠生產包裝紙、餐巾紙和衞生紙之前，中國已經普遍使用了2000年。他們是第一個發明並研製出帶有真正擒縱機構（譯者注：鐘錶之中齒輪互相交摳運轉的系統，現代機械錶中普遍使用的是槓桿式擒縱）的全機械鐘的人，比瑞士人早了許多世紀。中國人發明了一種精巧的地震儀，至今仍在使用，它不僅能顯示地震的嚴重程度，還能顯示地震的方向和距離。中國人發明了熱氣球、降落傘、載人風箏飛行、獨輪手推車和火柴。他們發明了密封的實驗室進行科學實驗。他們發明了皮帶和鏈傳動，槳輪蒸汽機，直升機旋翼和螺旋槳，分段拱橋。他們發明了使用水力和鏈式泵、曲柄柄、懸索橋的所有施工方法、滑動卡尺、釣魚卷軸、圖像投影、神奇的燈籠、懸掛的萬向節系統。中國不僅發明了紡車、梳理機和織布機，而且在紡織製造技術創新方面領先世界，比英國18世紀的紡織革命早了700多年。

Chinese expertise with fine porcelain was so advanced millennia ago, that even today it is admitted their ability has never even been equaled in the West, much less surpassed. The Chinese discovered not only magnetism but magnetic remanence and induction, as well as the compass. They invented gunpowder, smoke bombs, the cannon, the crossbow, plated body armor, fireworks, flamethrowers, grenades, land and sea mines, multi-stage rockets, mortars and repeating guns. China had irrigation canals that were also used for transport, and the Chinese invented the canal locks that could raise and lower boats to different levels 1,500 years before the Americans built the Panama Canal. China has earthquake-proof dams functioning today that were built around 250 BC.

幾千年前，中國製作精美瓷器的技術非常先進，即使在今天，人們也承認他們的能力在西方從未被匹敵，更不用説被超越了。中國人不僅發現了磁學，還發現了剩磁和磁感應，以及指南針。他們發明了火藥、煙霧彈、大炮、十字弓、鍍防彈衣、煙花、火焰噴射器、手榴彈、水雷、多級火箭、迫擊炮和連發炮。中國有灌溉運河，也用於運輸，中國人發明了可以將船隻升降到不同高度的水閘，比美國人建造巴拿馬運河早了1500年。中國至今仍有建於公元前250年左右的抗震大壩。

A millennium ago, the Chinese conceived and developed the science of immunology – vaccinating people for diseases like smallpox, knowing how to extract and prepare the vaccine so as to immunise and not infect. They discovered the circadian rhythm in the human body, blood circulation and the science of endocrinology. The Chinese were using urine from pregnant women to make sex hormones 2,000 years ago, understanding how they acted on the body and how to use them. Many centuries-old Chinese medical books still exist, documenting all this and much more. Around 1550, China compiled a huge 52-volume Chinese Traditional Herbal Medicine encyclopedia that described almost 2,000 herbal sources and 10,000 medical prescxtions. Among them is chaulmoogra oil, which is still the only known treatment for leprosy.

一千年前，中國人構想並發展了免疫學科學——為人們接種天花等疾病的疫苗，知道如何提取和製備疫苗，以便免疫而不被感染。他們發現了人體的晝夜節律、血液循環和內分泌學。早在兩千年前，中國人就開始用孕婦的尿液製造性激素，瞭解性激素對身體的作用以及如何使用。許多古老的中醫書籍仍然存在，記錄了所有這些和更多的東西。大約在1550年，中國編纂了一部52卷本的中草藥百科全書，描述了近2000種草藥來源和10000種處方。其中有一種叫chaulmoogra油（譯者注：衞氏大風子油，鍾花科的一種樹，用於治療皮膚病），至今仍是唯一已知的治療麻風病的藥物。

China designed and built the world’s largest commercial ships, which were many times longer and ten times larger in volume than anything the West could build at the time. In the late 1500s the largest English ships displaced 400 tons, while China’s displaced more than 3,000 tons. Western ships were small, uncontrollable and fragile, and useless for travelling any distance. Thousands of years ago, Chinese ships had watertight compartments that permitted them to continue journeys even when damaged. Moreover, Chinese ships not only had multiple masts, but China invented the luff sails which permit us to sail almost into the wind, just as sailboats do today, and were therefore not dependent on wind direction for their travel. Their luff sails contained sewn-in bamboo battens that keep the sails full and aerodynamically efficient, as racing sailboats use today. The Chinese invented the ship’s rudder – something the Europeans never managed to do, able to steer themselves only with oars, and European sails permitted them to travel only in the direction of the wind, which meant a ship would have to remain in place, sometimes for months, awaiting a favorable wind.

中國設計並建造了世界上最大的商船，比當時西方所能建造的商船長很多倍，體積大十倍。16世紀晚期，英國最大的船隻排水量為400噸，而中國的排水量超過3000噸。西方的船隻體積小、無法控制、脆弱不堪，無法航行任何距離。幾千年前，中國船隻有水密艙，即使受損也能繼續航行。此外，中國船隻不僅有多根桅杆，而且還發明瞭俯角帆，使我們幾乎可以迎風航行，就像今天的帆船一樣，因此航行不依賴風向。它們的俯角帆包含了縫在裏面的竹板條，可以保持帆的飽滿和空氣動力學效率，就像今天的比賽帆船所使用的那樣。中國人發明了船舵——這是歐洲人從來沒有做到過的，他們只能靠槳來控制方向，而歐洲人的帆只允許他們沿着風的方向航行，這意味着一艘船必須停留在原地，有時長達數月，等待有利的風向。

原創翻譯：龍騰網 http://www.ltaaa.cn 轉載請註明出處

Chinese maps were the best in the world, by orders of magnitude, for more than a millennium, and the precision of their maps became legendary, being far in advance of the West. The Chinese invented Mercator projections, relief maps, quantitative cartography and grid layouts. China had compasses and such extensive astronomical knowledge that they always knew where they were, could plot courses and follow them by both compass and star charts, and could sail wherever they wanted, regardless of the wind direction. As Needham pointed out, China was so far ahead of the Western world in sailing and navigation that comparisons are just embarrassing. It was only when the West managed to copy and steal China’s sailing and navigation technology that it was able to begin travelling the world and colonising it. James Petras wrote, “It is especially important to emphasize how China, the world technological power between 1100 and 1800, made the West’s emergence possible. It was only by borrowing and assimilating Chinese innovations that the West was able to make the transition to modern capitalist and imperialist economies.”[2]

一千多年來，中國地圖在數量級上都是世界上最好的，其地圖的精度成為傳奇，遠遠領先於西方。中國人發明了墨卡託投影、地形圖、定量製圖和網格佈局。中國有指南針，而且有豐富的天文知識，他們總是知道自己在哪裏，可以用指南針和星圖來繪製航線，並沿着航線航行，無論風向如何，他們都可以航行到任何地方。正如李約瑟所指出的，中國在航海和導航方面遠遠領先於西方世界，這樣的比較令人尷尬。只有當西方成功地複製和竊取中國的航海和導航技術時，它才能夠開始周遊世界並進行殖民。詹姆斯·佩特拉斯(James Petras)寫道:“特別重要的是，要強調中國這個1100年至1800年間的世界技術強國是如何使西方的出現成為可能的。只有通過借鑑和吸收中國的創新，西方才能夠過渡到現代資本主義和帝國主義經濟。

China was 1,000 years ahead of the West in anything to do with metals – cast iron, wrought iron, steel, carbon steel, tempered steel, welded steel. The Chinese were so skilled at metallurgy they could cast tuned bells that could produce any tone. Long before 1,000 A.D., China was the world’s major steel producer. I believe it was James Petras who noted that in about 1,000 A.D. China was producing about 125,000 tons of steel per year, while 800 years later Britain could produce only 75,000 tons.[1] The Chinese invented the blast furnace, the double-action bellows to achieve the necessary high temperatures for smelting and annealing metals. They invented the manufacture of steel from cast iron. Thy excelled in creating metallic alloys, and very early were casting and forging coins made from copper, nickel and zinc. The entire process of mining, smelting and purifying zinc, originated in China. The Chinese developed the processes of mining itself, and the concentration and extraction of metals.

中國在利用金屬的任何方面也都領先西方1000年——鑄鐵、熟鐵、鋼、碳鋼、回火鋼、焊接鋼。中國人在冶金方面技術出眾，他們可以鑄造出可以發出任何音調的調諧鍾。早在公元1000年之前，中國就是世界上主要的鋼鐵生產國。我相信是詹姆斯·佩特拉斯(James Petras)指出，在公元1000年左右，中國每年生產大約12.5萬噸鋼鐵，而800年後，英國每年只能生產7.5萬噸鋼鐵中國人發明了高爐，採用雙作用風箱來達到冶煉和退火金屬所需的高温。他們發明了用鑄鐵鍊鋼。他們擅長製造金屬合金，很早就鑄造和鍛造了用銅、鎳和鋅製成的硬幣。整個鋅的開採、冶煉和提純過程，起源於中國。中國人發展了自己的採礦工藝，以及金屬的濃縮和提取。

China was highly advanced in agriculture, having invented the winnowing fan and the seed drill, making an easy process of tilling, planting, and harvesting. Europeans and Americans were still seeding crops by scattering grain from a bag, a greatly wasteful practice that necessitated saving 50% of each year’s crop for seed. China developed scientifically efficient plows that have never been equaled and are still used all over the world today. They invented and developed animal harnesses and collars that first permitted horses to actually be used to pull loads. Europe had no efficient plow, and their only way of harnessing animals was to put a rope around their necks, which succeeded only in the animals strangling themselves. The Chinese invented saddles and the riding stirrup. China’s food production was orders of magnitude ahead of the world for more than 1,000 years, its advances in agriculture the enabling cause of Europe’s agricultural revolution that first permitted it to begin feeding itself adequately. The Chinese were wearing fine silk and cotton clothing and using toilet paper while centuries later Europeans were still wearing animal skins.

中國的農業非常發達，發明了揚子扇和播種機，使耕作、種植和收穫變得很容易。歐洲人和美國人還在用袋裝穀物播種，這是一種非常浪費的做法，每年必須節省50%的作物用於種子。中國開發了科學高效的犁，無人能及，至今仍在世界各地使用。他們發明並開發了動物挽具和項圈，第一次讓馬真正被用來拉東西。歐洲沒有有效的犁，他們駕馭動物的唯一方法是在它們的脖子上套上一根繩子，這隻能使動物勒死自己。中國人發明了馬鞍和馬鐙。一千多年來，中國的糧食產量一直領先世界幾個數量級，中國在農業方面的進步推動了歐洲的農業革命，使歐洲第一次開始實現自給自足。中國人穿着絲綢和棉質的衣服，使用衞生紙，而幾個世紀後的歐洲人仍然穿着動物皮。

Few people in the West are familiar with China’s Armillary Spheres. These wonders of the world, cast in bronze several meters in diameter and beautifully decorated with dragons and phoenixes, are some of the oldest and most accurate astronomical observatory instruments in existence, some created more than 3,500 years ago when the Western countries had no knowledge of such things. They determine and measure the positions and equatorial ecliptic and horizontal coordinates of celestial bodies, the positions and daily motions of 1,500 stars and constellations, and much more. When the Western Forces invaded China in the late 1800s, they were so captivated that they plundered most of these treasures and the centuries of data from the ancient observatories, disassembling the instruments and removing them to Europe, returning some to China as part of the Treaties after the First World War.

西方很少有人熟悉中國的渾天儀。這些世界奇觀由直徑數米的青銅鑄造而成，精美的龍和鳳凰裝飾，是現存最古老、最精確的天文觀測儀器之一，有些是在3500多年前製造的，當時西方國家還不知道這些東西。它們可以確定和測量天體的位置、赤道黃道座標和水平座標，以及1500顆恆星和星座的位置和日常運動等等。當西方軍隊在19世紀晚期入侵中國時，他們被迷住了，他們從古代天文台掠奪了大部分珍寶和數百年的數據，將儀器拆解並運回歐洲，並在第一次世界大戰後根據條約將部分儀器歸還給中國。

It leaves one speechless to learn the vast extent of Chinese inventions that existed hundreds of years and often millennia, before they appeared in the West. Needham published not only ancient Chinese texts that can be accurately dated, but photos of old drawings that clearly depict all of these items. This isn’t a simple matter of gunpowder and fireworks, but of discovery that encompasses the entire range of human knowledge, all of which has been consciously hidden from the Western world. Needham made his discoveries in the 1940s, but neither Western education nor the media have ever referenced or acknowledged them. These are not mere claims; the evidence is conclusive and available for examination but the West has thoroughly erased China from the world’s historical memory.

在西方出現之前，中國發明已經存在了數百年甚至數千年，這讓人啞口無言。李約瑟不僅發表了可以準確確定年代的中國古代文獻，而且還發表了清楚描繪所有這些物品的舊繪畫照片。這不是一個簡單的火藥和煙火的問題，而是一個包含人類整個知識領域的發現，所有這些都被有意識地對西方世界隱藏起來。李約瑟在20世紀40年代做出了他的發現，但無論是西方教育屆還是媒體都從未提及或承認過這些發現。這些不僅僅是觀點主張；證據確鑿，可供檢驗，但西方已經將中國從世界歷史記憶中徹底抹去。