Jiao Yu
The book also describes the use of explosive land mines and descriptions of explosive naval mines at sea and on the river; this incorporated the use of a complex trigger mechanism of falling weights, pins, and a steel wheellock to ignite the train of fuses.
The book describes various proto–guns including the fire lance (a short-burst flamethrower that emits a charge of shrapnel), multiple metal barrel handguns (with up to ten barrels), and descriptions of handguns with possible serpentine locks, used as components in matchlock firearms.
The book provided descriptions of the early bombard and cannon, including the use of hollow gunpowder–packed exploding cannonballs, cannon barrels filled with tons of metal balls containing poisonous gunpowder solutions, and cannons that were mounted on wheeled carriages so that they could be rotated in all directions.
By the 15th century, European innovations in firearms, cannons, and other gunpowder weapons began to surpass Chinese innovations made in the 14th century. This included the European breech–loading gun and culverin, the wheellock musket, and then the flintlock musket of the mid 17th century. By the late 16th century, the Chinese adopted Western-style muskets while employing Ottoman Turkish style firing positions. The book provided information for:
- Various gunpowder compositions[1]
- Descriptions of the Chinese hollow cast iron grenade bomb[2]
- Descriptions of the Chinese fire arrow.[3]
- Descriptions of explosive land mines.[4]
- Descriptions of explosive naval mines.[5]
- Descriptions of fire lances and proto-guns.[6]
- Descriptions of bombards and cannons.[7]
- Descriptions of hollow, gunpowder-packed exploding cannonballs[8]
- Descriptions of handguns with possible serpentines used as components in matchlocks.[9]
- Description of rocket launchers[10] and two stage rockets.[11]
- Descriptions of winged rockets with fins attached for better aerodynamic stability[12]
Legacy
Jiao Yu studied Confucianism and Taoism during his youth, and aspired to become a Confucian scholar in the future. Jiao, however, realized his talents lay in military strategy and technology. Although historians recorded various innovations and improvements in firearms, gunpowder, rockets, and others, specific innovations on his part is difficult to trace since military technology was highly classified information. Jian served various military technology positions during the Ming Dynasty.
Jiao Yu, together with Liu Ji, edited and wrote Huolongjing (火龍經; Fire Drake Manual), a famous military treatise on Chinese military technology during the mid 14th century. The treatise probably is a compilation of the best military technology at his time, which includes various compositions of gun powder, hollow cast iron grenade bomb, cannons, handguns, rocket launchers, winged rockets with fins, and others. China has a long history of these technologies, and invention of gun powder, for example, can be traced back to as early as Tang Dynasty (618 - 907).
Jiao's treatise is one of important historical documents that contain information about advanced technology during Mind Dynasty, China.
See also
Notes
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 180-187.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 183.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 153-154.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 192-196.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 203-205.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 229.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 314-325.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 264.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 459.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 489.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 508.
- ↑ Needham, Volume 5, Part 7, 498-503.
ReferencesISBN links support NWE through referral fees
- Brook, Timothy. The Confusions of Pleasure: Commerce and Culture in Ming China. Berkeley: University of California Press, 1998. ISBN 9780520210912
- Cowley, Robert. The Reader's Companion to Military History. Boston: Houghton–Mifflin Company, 1996. ISBN 9780395669693
- Ebrey, Patricia Buckley. The Cambridge Illustrated History of China. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-521-43519-6 (hardback); ISBN 0-521-66991-X (paperback).
- Embree, Ainslie Thomas. Asia in Western and World History: A Guide for Teaching. Armonk: ME Sharpe, Inc, 1997. ISBN 9780585027333
- Kelly, Jack. Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics: The History of the Explosive that Changed the World. New York: Basic Books, Perseus Books Group, 2004. ISBN 9780465037186
- Khan, Iqtidar Alam. Gunpowder and Firearms: Warfare in Medieval India. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004. ISBN 9780195665260
- Mote, Frederick W. and Denis Twitchett. The Cambridge History of China; Volume 7–8. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-521-24333-5 (Hardback edition).
- Needham, Joseph. Science and Civilization in China: Volume 5, Chemistry and Chemical Technology, Part 7, Military Technology; the Gunpowder Epic. Taipei: Caves Books Ltd, 1986. ISBN 9780521320214
- Norris, John. Early Gunpowder Artillery: 1300–1600. Marlborough: The Crowood Press, Ltd, 2003. ISBN 9781861266156
- Partington, James Riddick. A History of Greek Fire and Gunpowder. The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1998. ISBN 0-8018-5954-9.
- Song, Yingxing, translated with preface by E-Tu Zen Sun and Shiou-Chuan Sun. T'ien-Kung K'ai-Wu: Chinese Technology in the Seventeenth Century. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 1996.
- Temple, Robert. The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, Discovery, and Invention. With a forward by Joseph Needham. New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc, 1986. ISBN 0671620282.
- Yunming, Zhang. Isis: The Hitory of Science Society: Ancient Chinese Sulfur Manufacturing Processes. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1986.
External links
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All links are retrieved February 6, 2009.
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