Genesis
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Alaskan national guards, ok. Well at least you respect Afghanistan and Iraq, since you sent your regular army there.
China is after our inventions? Who are we kidding?
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Alaskan national guards, ok. Well at least you respect Afghanistan and Iraq, since you sent your regular army there.
xunzi
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oH RIGHT, the America is so powerful that they are going around BEGGING allies to help fighting Syria not too long ago. LOL
I gave you a list of inventions. Did you check them? Now if you are talking about in modern term, as in 20th century and forward, yes we contribute little and that understandable. It wasn't just Chinese, but the rest of other ethnicity, outside of White, didn't contribute much to modern technological advancement. But what you don't understand is that these technological advancements were built from the experience and knowledge of the past. There is no question that the West learn a lot from our ancestors. As for technology invention, let be clear here for a second. There are many engineers and scientists working in Microsoft, IBM, Apple, and those silicon valley comprises a large percentage of Chinese. So it is hard to truly quantified what exactly Chinese makes to modern technology.
Jackdaws
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Really? Rape a child? Is that another of the Ku Klux Klan fantasies your Grand Wizard told you about? Was that before or after you lynched someone today?
Right about what? You are categorically wrong in every assumption that you have made. LOL - genuis.
Let's see your fascinating replies -
1. Your statement - "Because we all know that Europeans would not have invented a numeral system without Indian help... oh wait, we invented plenty..." - Now let's see you type the distance between the Earth and the Moon in Roman Numerals.
2. And you claim to be American so what makes you think you can hijack European inventions and discoveries. It doesn't matter whether you got off the boat or your great-great grandfather did. You are an immigrant. Are there any Native American inventions/discoveries the world uses? Teepees perhaps?
3. According to your semi-literate self, India only contributed the numerical system. LOL - I guess the local chapter of the KKK has not really educated you about Steel. Or Plumbing. Or Mining.
When you have lynched some poor African-American today - perhaps you will be able to give us a logical reply. Or not.
Malik Usman
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Commie Propaganda I don't trust you
On topic General Americans are stupid
All brown People are Arabs
All Koreans,Vietnamese,Filip one,Chinese,Japanese are Chinese
Btw i think 1-2 decades is more realistic your Govt is already spending Billions on Tech so 1-2 decades is achievable
And the same kind of propaganda Indians do call themselves superpower...
thesolar65
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Very well Analysis in short. Ancient India or China have invented/discovered many things, but they did not share/contribute their wisdom all over the world. Had the WWII not happened the world still would be looking up to Europe.
A lion is lion and a leopard is a leopard and a fox is a fox. They are different. That is how nature made us.
China can only challenge Europeans if Chinese themselves genetically turn into Europeans. Chinese may retain their cultural identity but unless they genetically become what the Anglo Saxons are today, Chinese will always be some naive docile people who deserve to be bullied by others.
Let them figure out how they would do that, may be through mass scale genetic engineering. Chinese already have fair skins. They just need the traits of white masculinity. And in fact, it will bridge the gap across the Pacific between China and USA and will contribute to the overall progress of humanity.
It will solve all the problems of the Chinese nation. China's neighbors will think thousand times before stealing and occupying Chinese lands.
Currently, Chinese troops posted along Indian border look like this:
Do they look like serious soldiers? Some funny guys standing wearing sun grasses.
What if they look like this?
There will be mass resignations of troops in the Chinese neighborhood countries as anybody would not fail to get it clear that messing with such soldiers would mean their merciless destruction.
I would very much like to see Chinese nation biologically transforming into a white nation with Chinese culture.
The great British with two hundred and fifty thousand men in all, including fifty thousand British soldiers, governed four hundred million Indians. There was a reason behind that.
Jackdaws
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A lion is lion and a leopard is a leopard and a fox is a fox. They are different. That is how nature made us.
China can only challenge Europeans if Chinese themselves genetically turn into Europeans. Chinese may retain their cultural identity but unless they genetically become what the Anglo Saxons are today, Chinese will always be some naive docile people who deserve to be bullied by others.
Let them figure out how they would do that, may be through mass scale genetic engineering. Chinese already have fair skins. They just need the traits of white masculinity. And in fact, it will bridge the gap across the Pacific between China and USA and will contribute to the overall progress of humanity.
It will solve all the problems of the Chinese nation. China's neighbors will think thousand times before stealing and occupying Chinese lands.
Currently, Chinese troops posted along Indian border look like this:
Do they look like serious soldiers? Some funny guys standing wearing sun grasses.
What if they look like this?
There will be mass resignations of troops in the Chinese neighborhood countries as anybody would not fail to get it clear that messing with such soldiers would mean their merciless destruction.
I would very much like to see Chinese nation biologically transforming into a white nation with Chinese culture.
The great British with two hundred and fifty thousand men in all, including fifty thousand British soldiers, governed four hundred million Indians. There was a reason behind that.
Almost all the troops were Indians. And just how Anglo Saxon does the Royal Gurkha Regiment of the British Army look?
LOL. Talk sense.
American_Millenium
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Not really, just trying to get more people on our side, which is completely natural. Not like we couldn't take on the Iraqi Military, yet we still asked for a Coalition even from 3rd world African countries.
NO, there is a question about that... haha! I'm trying to get you to say how we have benefited from your ancient inventions. We barely had any exchange of knowledge and/or technology during the ancient times when you were apparently 'superior' to us (which I doubt), so how did this happen? Everything that China supposedly invented was either never transferred to the West (and therefore invented ourselves) or was transferred to the West and refined and developed far better than the Chinese could ever dream of. And yes, this was before the Industrial revolution.
As for your many engineers, every time I see a new software inventor, or major CEO, or new and innovative thinker, or engineer presenting a new product, they never look Chinese. The supposed dominance of Chinese tech workers in Silicon Valley is highly overstated.
American_Millenium
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Yawn... I tire of the inferiority complex presented in your comment. Yes, I am a KKK member, now let's get over that and move on.
Firstly, I am of European descent, and when measuring the difference between civilizations, I will obviously compare Western civilization (which is European and her descendants) to other civilizations.
As for Native American inventions, you are making me chuckle. A tepee? Great invention! We have things called houses and skyscrapers. I would say they are more useful than the dumb tents you are seeking to impress me with.
Lastly, don't embarrass yourself by saying that India has given us steel, plumbing, and mining! Just take a look at your illiterate sad 3rd world of a nation. What plumbing? You guys invented it but you never saw any use for it? LMAO!!
Jackdaws
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I am not tired of your inferiority complex or lack of education or knowledge. It merely amuses me.
Perhaps it is difficult for you to get sarcasm - let me spell it out for you - I was being sarcastic about the teepees.
The only one embarrassing himself is you. When you done with the latest lynching, perhaps you can visit the local library or look it up online - the Indian civilization did invent these things.
Only a Klansman with little knowledge would confuse nation-states with civilizations. I don't blame you really - your ranting is expected. If you are comparing nation-states - then compare the US to India after 66 years of independence. Heck I'd be generous and give you a handicap. You can compare the first 100 years of American independence to India's 66. We would still be way ahead. For 100 odd years you had slavery when the civilized European world had long ago abolished it. For almost the first 200 you had segregation which wasn't too different from the apartheid in South Africa. That by the way is a nation - I doubt you have heard of it or of Nelson Mandela. You imprisoned your own citizens of Japanese descent in WW2 for no rhyme or reason. Should we talk of the communist witch hunt? Or perhaps Operation Paper Clip where you gave refuge to mass murderers? LOL - I am sure you have learnt more in this one post about your country then in your life long attendance of KKK meetings.
BloodyPak96
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Are you serious? Your comparing the 1770s to the 1940s. Even sub saharan africa is more advanced than usa was in its first 100 years. Anyways america will always be better than india cam ever be.
Jackdaws
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On the contrary - I am saying it is unfair to compare a nation-state which has had to opportunity to chart its own course for nearly 240 years to any nation-state which has only had 66 years. An independent nation-state has to go through an entire cycle of economic and societal development. Of course the gestation period will be shorter because of freer movement of ideas, goods and services.
The contributions of India are minuscule, and the contributions of China are all ancient and have been superseded by more impressive feats. Really, off the top of my head I can't even think of a significant Indian contribution other than the typical *ONE* invention that you always proudly scream: The replacement of zero as a number instead of a placeholder. Oh, and the numeral system...
Because we all know that Europeans would not have invented a numeral system without Indian help... oh wait, we invented plenty...
All I ask is what inventions are you referring to? What can I hold in my hand today and say, "thank god for the existence of the Chinese, for which without I would not have this amazing device/tool/invention/drug/technology in my hand today"??
Can you tell me, which year America got Independence?
Let me try in your own numeral system: MDCCLXXVI
Always remember it.. you should never forget the year in which you earned Independence.
And your "civilisation" owns copyright to these numerals too... so nobody will accuse your of stealing.
1776 in roman numerals - Google Search
And no point telling you about Ramanujan, CV Raman, Jagdish Chandra Bose, Vinod Khosla ... eh .. am I not wasting my time talking to KKK.
xunzi
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Learn about the Silk Road, moron. I'm getting tire of a white supremacist like you.
--------------------------------------------
Chinese Technologies Introduced into the West via Silk Road
Silkworms
Silkworms The cultural exchange between China and the West offered mutual benefit and achieved common progress. The Chinese Four Great Inventions (paper making, printing, gunpowder and compass) as well as the skills of silkworm breeding and silk spinning were transmitted to the West. This greatly sped up the development of the entire world.
Apart from Chinese exquisite goods, many Chinese advanced technologies were also exported to the west, such as the silkworms breading, silk spinning, paper making, printing with movable type and gunpowder.
In Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD), China had a monopoly on silk trade by keeping the silk's production technology a secret. A Han princess smuggled silkworms and mulberry seedlings as well as skilled workmen into Yutian (now Hetian). It was not until the 12th century AD that this technology reached to West Europe.
In 750, a war between the Tang Dynasty (618-907) and the Arab Empire broke out in Bishkek City and the Tang troops were defeated. As a result, Arabs took Chinese prisoners to Samarkand along the Silk Road. Among them there were paper making workmen.
In Tang Dynasty, Printing Technique had been introduced into the Central Asia. In the thirteenth century, many European travelers reached China through the Silk Road and brought back Printing Technique to Europe. In 1444, Gutenberg, a German inventor of letterpress printing, printed the Bible using a similar printing technique.
Silkworm Cocoon
Silkworm CocoonDuring the early period of the thirteenth century, Mongolian hordes used gunpowder to flatten resistance against them in their westward conquests. That was equivalent to weapons of mass destructions in those days.
What's more, the technique of karez was introduced into the Western Regions in the Han Dynasty. The Han troops stationed in the West Regions used the technique to storing water under desolate conditions. From the Three Kingdoms (220-280) to the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the music, dance, acrobatics and arts of West Asia and Central Asia spread into China. The Kung-hou (23-stringed instrument) and lute of Persia joined Chinese traditional musical instruments in the Han Dynasty (206 BC–220 AD).
Material culture exchange was also underway on this long trade road. A large number of products of the West flowed into China, such as grapes, clover, walnuts, carrots, peppers, beans, spinach, cucumbers, pomegranates, rare animals, medicinal materials, flavorings and jewelry. Chinese porcelains and lacquers were traded into the West as well.
Silk Road Culture Exchange: Religion and Technology Introduced into China via the Road
--------------
and more for you.
-----------------------------
The Science & Technology Ancient China Taught the West
Few Westerners are aware that, for thousands of years, China was far more developed than the West. In this article we will examine the Confucian culture, that created the basis for the Chinese to make a series of remarkable inventions, and how these inventions allowed China to achieve a much higher living standard, than existed anywhere else at the time.
A Chinese Seed Drill: This technology was used in China for thousands of years before it was introduced into Europe
China is one of the few nations in the world that is currently carrying
out great infrastructure projects similar to those that were essential
to the development of the United States. This is exemplified by the
Three Gorges Dam, plans to build railroads to develop the western
regions, and China's collaboration with the nations of Asia and Europe
in the development of the Eurasian Land-Bridge. The forward-looking
nature of China's policies is exemplified by the fact that China is the
first nation to begin construction of a magnetically levitated train,
while projects to build magnetically levitated trains have been canceled
in the West.
Few Westerners realize today, that for much of Ancient times, and the
Middle Ages, China was significantly more advanced than Europe. In this
article, we will examine a number of the technological breakthroughs made
in ancient China, and the Confucian outlook that encouraged these
discoveries. We will also examine this period of Chinese history, from
the standpoint of the principles of economic science that were developed
by Lyndon LaRouche, to see the relationship of these technological
breakthroughs to the development of China's economy.
Foolish people today (including, unfortunately, many in Congress and the
present Administration), seem to think that China's identity is defined
by the last half-century, i.e., that it was always Communist. However,
that period of Chinese history, from which it has been re-emerging in
recent years, represents only {one percent} of its 5,000-year history!
The paradox thus posed is: How has this civilization survived and
prospered for five millennia, to become the most populous nation on Earth?
China's Confucian Tradition
``Now when food meant for human beings is so plentiful as to be thrown
to dogs and pigs, you fail to realize that it is time for garnering,
and when men drop dead from starvation by the wayside, you fail to realize
that it is time for distribution. When people die, you simply say, `It is
none of my doing. It is the fault of the Harvest.' In what way is that
different from killing a man by running him through, while saying all the
time, `It is none of my doing. It is the fault of the weapon.' Stop
putting the blame on the harvest and the people of the whole Empire
will come to you'' (Mencius, Book 1 Part A, 3).
The successes of ancient China in economic development were the result of
the influence of the Confucian philosophical school, led by Confucius
(551-476 B.C.) himself, and his follower, Mencius (372-289 B.C.). Both
recognized an absolute distinction between mankind and the beasts,
asserting that man's nature was essentially good, and capable of being
governed by reason.
Confucius taught that society must be governed, not by selfishness and
greed, but by the Chinese concept, ren, which is very similar to the
Platonic and Christian concept of agapee (a Greek word, usually translated
as ``love,'' or ``charity''). Confucius proclaimed what the West would later
call the Golden Rule: ``Is there one word which may serve as a rule of
practice for all one's life?'' The Master said, ``Is not `reciprocity'
such a word? What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others.''
Moreover, some 2,200 years before the Preamble to U.S. Constitution was
adopted, Confucius and Mencius established the responsibility of
government to promote the General Welfare. Although society was still
hierarchically ordered, with the Emperor exerting absolute rule over his
subjects, he was required to ensure their livelihood, or risk losing the
mandate of Heaven. As Mencius stated, ``Heaven sees with the eyes of its
people. Heaven hears with the ears of its people''; he quoted from the
``Book of History,'' to indicate that societies are destroyed, not
by natural disasters, but by human folly:
``When Heaven sends down calamities,
There is hope of weathering them;
When man brings them upon himself,
There is no hope of escape.''
However, Confucianism was often opposed by antithetical ideologies, such
as Daoism, which had a very destructive effect when they were dominant.
When governments strayed from Confucian principles, the result was
often civil war and massive depopulation.
In the classical work of Daoism, the 'Dao Te Ching,' the Lao Zi, (Sixth
Century) taught that the king rules by keeping his people ignorant: ``He
empties their minds, and fills their bellies;|... He strives always to keep
the people innocent of knowledge and desires, and to keep the knowing ones
from meddling.'' Daoism rejected the Confucian concept of government's
responsibility to promote the General Welfare, arguing that events should
simply take their course.
The European Renaissance and the foundation of the nation-state in the
15th Century, in Louis XI's France and Henry VII's England represented a
fundamental advance for all mankind, that allowed human society to achieve
rates of growth that were unprecedented in human history. However, during
much of the period prior to the Renaissance, the Chinese economy achieved
a level of productivity, that far exceeded that of Europe. Central to this
development, was the Confucian conception of man as governed by reason, and
not bestial emotions, which guided the Chinese to make a remarkable series of
discoveries, many of which were not made in Europe, until much later.
Government That Promotes the General Welfare
Chinese governments carried out numerous initiatives to develop agriculture,
which was by far the largest sector of the economy at that time. The ``Lu shi
chun qiu,'' or ``Master Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals,'' written around
250-225 B.C. states:
``The ruler shall order the work of the fields to begin. He shall order the
inspectors of the fields to reside in the lands having an eastern exposure,
to repair the borders and boundaries of the fields, to inspect the paths and
irrigation ditches, to examine closely the mounts and hills, the slopes and
heights and the plains and valleys to determine what lands are good and where
the five grains should be sown, and they shall instruct and direct the people.
This they must do in person. When the work of the fields had been well begun,
with the irrigation ditches traced out correctly before-hand, there will be
no confusion later.''
Governments actively promoted the development of new technologies in
agriculture, and often took initiatives to insure their use by the peasants.
This is evidenced by the fact that over 500 tracts were produced, many of them
by government officials, dating back over 2000 years, developing the science
of agriculture. These tracts covered a wide range of crops, and the entire
range of techniques and technologies necessary to develop productivity, such
as plowing, sowing, irrigation and cultivation.
Chinese writings on agriculture were vastly superior to those produced in
Europe, until as late the 18th Century. Roman works on farming remained the
main writings used throughout the Middle Ages. These Roman tracts dealt with
the management of slave estates to produce wine and olive oil, with little on
other crops. Only the Arabs introduced new techniques into Europe, before the
Renaissance.
Confucianism--like its distant offspring, the American System of National
Economy--rejected ``free trade,'' and promoted government intervention to
insure the General Welfare. The "Han shu shi huo zhi' (``Han Book on Food and
Money''), the first economic history of China, published in the First Century
A.D., discussed actions of the government to control speculators, who enriched
themselves, through actions that impoverished or starved the people. For
example, the Han dynasty practiced a policy akin to parity-pricing for
agriculture, with its ``ever-level price granaries.'' The government purchased
grain during times of surplus, and sold it during times of shortage, in order
to maintain a stable price. The price of many commodities was regulated to
reflect the cost of production.
Free trade or ``laissez-faire'' economics, popularized by British East India
Company agent Adam Smith, and adopted by the 18th-Century French Physiocrats,
was based on a ``hedonistic principle,'' which Confucianism rejected.
Francalois Quesnay, one of the creators of the Physiocratic doctrine, stated,
``To secure the greatest amount of pleasure with the least possible outlay
should be the aim of all economic effort.'' The Physiocrats would later falsely
claim that the success of the Chinese economy, was proof of their ideology,
which asserted that only agriculture was truly productive.
However, to understand agriculture, or any sector of an economy, it is necessary
to examine the processes that determine the economy as a whole. Contrary to the
assertions of the French Physiocrats, the success of Chinese agriculture was
based on technological breakthroughs, that gave the Chinese a superior
tool-making industry. Indeed, this is illustrated by the 'Han shu,' which states,
``Iron may be called a fundamental in farming.
The Science of Economics
The science of economics was founded by Leibniz and further developed by Lyndon LaRouche. We will discuss some of the basic concepts expressed in LaRouche's text, "So You Wish to Learn About Economics."
Gottfried Leibniz (1646-1716), who founded the science of Economics, studied the application of heat powered machinery to increase the power of the worker. As LaRouche states, "The increase of man's power over nature is most easily measured as a decrease of the habitable land area required to sustain an average person." A more accurate measurement is not simply the existing population density, but the potential level of population that a given technology can support, the "potential relative population-density."
No economy can remain in a fixed level of technology. If a society does not advance to a higher level of technology, it will run into limits, as it exhausts the resources that are available, at that level of technology. As LaRouche states, "Only societies whose cultures commit them to successful technological progress, as a policy of practice, are qualified to survive and to prosper."
Technological breakthroughs can occur on two levels: 1) those that increase the productivity of labor, for example, the introduction of a more efficient plow. 2) a technological revolution that moves society to a completely higher level of technology, for example, the introduction of electricity. The measure of economic value and work is the rate of increase of potential relative population-density, relative to it's existing level.
A successful economy must meet a number of conditions. The living standard of the population must rise. However, even as the living standards of the population rise, investment in capital goods must rise even more rapidly, causing the capital intensity of the economy, to increase. A successful economy must increase the surplus that it invests in the development of new technology even more rapidly. It must also make necessary investments in basic infrastructure such as transportation, water supplies, and health care and education.
We will now examine the development of the Chinese economy over the last 2500 years, keeping these principles in mind. We will see how China's technological breakthroughs led to increases in the potential relative population-density.
Chinese Metallurgy: The Basis For Superior Tools
A Chinese Blast Furnace
The Iron Age is generally considered to have begun around
1700-1500 B.C. The introduction of iron allowed mankind to develop tools that were stronger and superior to stone or bronze. These improved tools increased productivity.
The manufacture of iron requires two processes: First, the iron, which naturally occurs in the form of an ore of iron oxide, must be separated from the oxygen and other impurities, in a high-temperature process, which is
called reducing or smelting. The oxygen is removed by combining it with carbon, to form carbon dioxide. This leaves behind the iron in metallic form. The other impurities form a slag, which is then separated. Second, the raw iron must be manufactured into useful articles.
The earliest smelting of iron ore was done at temperatures below the melting point of iron, which is higher than that of copper and bronze. Iron, produced by this method, forms a spongy solid, when it is removed from the furnace. Furnaces that reduced iron ore to its metallic form, while operating below the melting point of iron, were called bloom furnaces.
Once the reduction of iron ore to its metallic form has been accomplished, it must be shaped into a useful article. Transforming the spongy raw iron into a useful article, was a slow, and very inefficient process, which only allowed the production of simple shaped utensils, such as swords.
However, by no later than the end of the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476 B.C.), the Chinese developed the technology of the blast furnace. This allowed them to heat the ore above its melting point, and produce cast iron. Among the inventions that made this possible, was the double-action bellows. The manufacture of iron, using a blast furnace to produce a molten metal, greatly expanded production: The process could be continuous, as the molten metal flowed from the reducing furnace, was poured into molds, and made into a large variety of products.
Casting a bell
The blast furnace was introduced in Europe, on a wide scale, only in the late 14th Century, almost 2,000 years later. The use of cast iron was, unfortunately, introduced in Europe largely for the production of cannon; Henry VII constructed the first blast furnaces in England. The replacement of the bloom furnace with the blast furnace, increased productivity in the English iron industry 15-fold.
The Chinese were able to manufacture superior tools, that the more primitive European metallurgy was incapable of producing, which led to a substantial advance in productivity throughout the entire economy. As early as the Third Century B.C., the state of Qin appointed government officials to supervise the iron industry, and penalize manufacturers who produced substandard products. The Han Dynasty nationalized all cast-iron manufacture in 119 B.C. Around that time, there were 46 imperial Iron Casting Bureaus throughout the country, with government officials insuring that cast-iron tools were widely available. This included cast-iron plowshares, iron hoes, iron knives, axes, chisels, saws and awls, cast-iron pots, and even toys.
The Chinese also developed methods for the manufacture of steel that were only matched in the West, in the recent period. The characteristics of iron alloys are related to the carbon content. Cast iron generally has a high carbon content, which makes it strong, but brittle. Steel, which is an alloy of iron with a low carbon content, is strong and more durable. The use of steel in agricultural implements was introduced, on a wide scale, during the Tang Dynasty (618-907 A.D.). This led to a further improvement in productivity.
In the Second Century B.C., the Chinese developed what became known in the West as the Bessemer process. They developed a method for converting cast iron into steel, by blowing air on the molten metal, which reduced the carbon content. In 1845, William Kelly brought four Chinese steel experts to Kentucky, and learned this method from them, for which he received an American patent. However, he went bankrupt, and his claims were made over to the German, Bessemer, who had also developed a similar process.
As early as the Fourth Century A.D., coal was used in China, in place of charcoal, as fuel to heat iron to rework the raw iron into finished products. Although sources on the use of coal in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 A.D.) are limited, the Chinese are reported to have developed the ability to use coal in the smelting of iron by the Ninth Century.
The use of wood to make charcoal was causing deforestation, which threatened to limit the production of iron. Indeed, the development of the capability to use coal in iron manufacture is an example of how a new technology allows mankind to overcome limits imposed by existing levels of technology. The rapid expansion of iron production that occurred under the Song Dynasty, would not have been possible without the introduction of coal as an energy source in the production of iron.
Under the Song dynasty, the iron and steel industry reached a level that was spectacular, compared to that in Europe. Between 850 and 1050, iron production increased 12-fold. By 1078, North China was producing more than 114,000 tons of pig iron a year. In 1788, seven hundred years later, England's production of pig iron was around 50,000 tons.
Breugel's painting shows a man plowing with an inefficient European plow
``Master Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals'' describes how each spring, the Emperor and his chief ministers initiated the growing season, with a ceremony in which each took turns plowing the ground. The plows they used were dramatically superior to the plows that were used in Europe, until the 18th Century. Writer Robert Temple has observed that, ``Nothing underlines the backwardness of the West more than the fact that for thousands of years, millions of human beings plowed the earth in a manner which was so inefficient, so wasteful of effort, and so utterly exhausting, that this deficiency of sensible plowing may rank as mankind's single greatest waste of time and energy.''
Plows prepare the ground for planting, by using an iron share to cut into the ground, and a mould-board to turn it, burying the weeds and loosening the soil. In 1784, the Scottish agricultural scientist, James Small, enunciated the following principles of scientific plow design:
``The back of the sock [share] and mould-board shall make one continued fair surface without any interruption or sudden change.'' Chinese plows, from the Third Century B.C., already met these requirements. They had a cast-iron mould-board, which was a curved device, that shifted the soil with the minimum of drag. The European plow simply had a wooden board coming off to the side which turned the soil, that had been cut.
In 'So You Wish to Learn All About Economics?,' Lyndon LaRouche developed the basic principles of technology. In it, he states, ``Generally speaking, the power applied to the work by a machine is not the same power supplied to the machine as a whole. A very simple machine, a simple knife blade, illustrates the point: the pressure applied by the sharpened edge of the blade is vastly greater than the pressure exerted upon the handle of the knife. The power is more concentrated. We measure such concentration of power as increase of energy-flux density.''
The Chinese plow concentrated the force much more efficiently on the sharp blade of the plow, with the mould-board designed to turn the soil with a minimum of drag. With the European plow, the entire straight wooden mould-board pushed against the soil. Therefore, the Chinese plow achieved a far higher energy-flux density, and accomplished far more work with far less effort. Chinese plows were so efficient, that they required only one or two animals to pull them. Four, six, or even eight draft animals were needed to pull the inefficient European plow. The Chinese plow was vastly more efficient than the European plow, both per worker and per unit of energy used. As LaRouche states, ``This difference is Leibniz's definition of the subject matter of technology.''
Row Agriculture and Weeding
Paul de Limbourg and Colombe, October, Tres Riches Heures, Musee Conde, Chantilly
The method used in Europe to plant seeds, as late as the 18th Century, was extremely wasteful and inefficient. A painting by the Limbourg Brothers for the Duc de Berry (ca. 1415) 'Les Tres Riches Heures,' to illustrate the month of October, demonstrates the inefficency of the methods for planting that were used in Europe until the 18th Century. In the lower righthand corner, a peasant tosses seeds, from a sack he carries, onto the ground. Behind him, another peasant is riding a horse that is pulling a rake. The purpose of the rake was to cover the seeds with soil; a very unreliable method, that left many seeds exposed. Appropriately, pictured in the lower left, is a flock of birds, who are busily eating the seeds.
This method was so inefficient that most of the seeds never germinated to produce a crop. The plants also grew up in a disorganized mess. Weeding the fields was impossible, so the plants were left to compete with the weeds until harvesting season. This considerably reduced the crop. In Europe, it was often necessary to save one-half of the harvest to use as seeds the next year.
By no later than the Sixth Century B.C., the Chinese adopted the practice of growing crops in evenly spaced rows, and using a hoe to remove the weeds. ``Master Lu's Spring and Autumn Annals,'' states ``If the crops are grown in rows they will mature rapidly because they will not interfere with each other's growth.
The Seed Drill
At first, the seeds were placed by hand in furrows, in a ridge-and-furrow pattern. Around the Second Century B.C., the Chinese introduced the seed drill, which became almost universally used in northern China. This device consisted of small plows that cut small furroughs in the ground, a mechanism that released the seeds, evenly spaced into these furrows, and a brush or roller that covered the seeds with dirt. The seed drill could be adjusted for different types of soil and seeds. This method of planting was so much more efficient than sowing the seed by scattering it, that it could achieve an efficiency 10 or even 30 times greater.
It should be easy to see that the difference in productivity between Chinese and European agriculture was dramatic. The area of land that could be brought under cultivation in Europe was constricted by inferior technology, and by the need to leave more land as pasture to feed the extra draft animals. Obviously, we are comparing two large areas, over a long period of time. However, Chinese yields have been estimated at two, five, or even ten times higher than yields in Europe, at various times. China's higher yields allowed for an increased population density, and also for an increased division of labor, as we will see below.
Eventually these technologies were transmitted to Europe, which led to a large increase in agricultural production. European travelers were greatly impressed with the wealth of China, and the productivity of its agriculture. Leibniz and others actively sought out information on Chinese science, industry and agriculture from Europeans who traveled to China.
The Chinese plow and seed drill were introduced into Europe during the 17th Century, and gradually adopted throughout Europe. Growing crops in rows was championed by British agricultural reformer, Jethro Tull, who printed a treatise in 1731, to persuade farmers to adopt what he called ``horse-hoeing husbandry.'' Tull published arguments similar to those used 2000 years earlier in China. Tull also developed one of the first successful European seed drills.
Transportation and infrastructure
Confucian philosophy placed the responsibility for the development of infrastructure on the ruler. The development of inland water transport, which is far less costly than overland transport for bulk commodities, was essential for the growth of a large-scale iron industry, and for transporting the large quantities of grain needed by China's cities. Even into modern times, the length of China's transportation canals has exceeded those of Europe.
In 1615, the missionary-scholar Matteo Ricci, who lived and taught in China for many years, reported, ``This country is so thoroughly covered by an intersecting network of rivers and canals that it is possible to travel almost anywhere by water.'' He also estimated that there were as many boats in China as in all of the rest of the world. From 1405 to 1433, Chinese fleets under Admiral Zheng He carried out seven expeditions reaching as far as Africa and the Red Sea. The first fleet consisted of 317 ships and 26,800
men.
Around 215 B.C., the first contour canal was built in China, which linked the Changjiang (Yangtzee) and the Zhujiang (Pearl) river systems. The Grand Canal is the longest and largest of all navigation canals in the world. Completed during the reign of Emperor Yang Di (604-17 A.D.), it extended 1,250 miles from the Changjiang River to Beijing. During the Tang Dynasty, over 2 million tons of grain were shipped, yearly, north on the canal. This increased to 7 million tons during the Song Dynasty.
Numerous water projects were developed for irrigation, from as early as 600 B.C. Major dike projects were also built to control rivers, and protect the coastline.
Roads and Horse Harnesses
The Chinese also developed an extensive network of roads. By 210 B.C., 4,000 miles of imperial highways, equal to the distance built by the Romans, had been constructed in China. The Chinese made major innovations in bridge construction. A number of bridges were so well designed, that they are still in use over 1,000 years later. One bridge, built in 610 A.D., that still survives, bears the inscription to its designer, Li Ch'un: ``Such a master-work could never have been achieved, if this man had not applied his genius to the building of a work which would last for centuries to come.''
Under the Roman Empire, even the horses had an inferior existence to those living in China. The Romans used a throat-and-girth harness that went around the horse's neck. This choked the poor horse with the least exertion. In the Third and Fourth Century B.C., the Chinese made two improvements in horse harnesses, which placed the force of the load on the horse's chest bones, rather than its throat. Studies have shown that the Chinese harnesses allowed a horse to pull a load six times greater that of a horse in a throat-and-girth harness. These Chinese harnesses were brought to Europe through Central Asia, thereby liberating Europe's horses from choking harnesses, and improving Europe's ability to transport goods. This same path was followed by the stirrup, another Chinese invention which greatly improved man's ability to ride a horse, without falling offand for long distances with less exertion.
Ancient China's Remarkable Cities
It can be easily seen that superior Chinese technology made
possible a much higher productivity in agriculture, both per-person and per-hectare. This allowed the Chinese economy to support a larger proportion of its population in non-agricultural employment, and allowed the development of a level of urbanization that was unprecedented in Europe until after the 15th-Century Renaissance.
Although the following figures are estimates, the strongest evidence of their accuracy is that the Chinese had developed a level of technology capable of supporting such large urban centers.
The largest city of the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), Linzi the capital of the state of Chi, reached a population of approximately 300,000. In 300 B.C., at least nine cities, containing more than 100,000 people can be identified. Approximately 4.3 million people, or approximately 14%, lived in urban centers, (defined as 2,000 or more).
During the Second Century B.C., Xi'an was the largest city in the world. Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, reached a population of 500,000 during the First Century A.D. It had an imperial observatory, where Zhang Heng created his seismograph, and advanced his theory that the Earth was spherical; an Academy, attended by 30,000 students; and a granary for times when food relief was needed.
Under the Song Dynasties (960-1279), China's cities reached their height of development. Lin-an, (Hangzhou) the capital of the Southern Song reached 2.5 million by 1200. In addition, there were two other cities of 350,000 each, and others were more than 100,000 each. By contrast, in 1200, the largest cities in Western Europe, were Florence and Venice with about 90,000 each, and Milan with 75,000. The largest European cities during the Middle Ages were Constantinople and Cordoba. Constantinople, in today's Turkey, reached around 600,000 to 800,000 in 1100. Cordoba, in Muslim Spain, reached 400-500,000, but then declined.
The level of urbanization in China has been estimated at around 20% in 1200. France and England did not reach a 20% level of urbanization until the 18th Century. It can be easily seen that superior Chinese technology made possible a much higher productivity in agriculture, both per-person and per-hectare. This allowed the Chinese economy to support a larger proportion of its population in non-agricultural employment, and allowed the development of a level of urbanization that was unprecedented in Europe until after the 15th-Century Renaissance.
Although the following figures are estimates, the strongest evidence of their accuracy is that the Chinese had developed a level of technology capable of supporting such large urban centers.
The largest city of the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), Linzi the capital of the state of Chi, reached a population of approximately 300,000. In 300 B.C., at least nine cities, containing more than 100,000 people can be identified. Approximately 4.3 million people, or approximately 14%, lived in urban centers, (defined as 2,000 or more).
During the Second Century B.C., Xi'an was the largest city in the world. Luoyang, the capital of the Eastern Han Dynasty, reached a population of 500,000 during the First Century A.D. It had an imperial observatory, where Zhang Heng created his seismograph, and advanced his theory that the Earth was spherical; an Academy, attended by 30,000 students; and a granary for times when food relief was needed.
Under the Song Dynasties (960-1279), China's cities reached their height of development. Lin-an, (Hangzhou) the capital of the Southern Song reached 2.5 million by 1200. In addition, there were two other cities of 350,000 each, and others were more than 100,000 each. By contrast, in 1200, the largest cities in Western Europe, were Florence and Venice with about 90,000 each, and Milan with 75,000. The largest European cities during the Middle Ages were Constantinople and Cordoba. Constantinople, in today's Turkey, reached around 600,000 to 800,000 in 1100. Cordoba, in Muslim Spain, reached 400-500,000, but then declined. The level of urbanization in China has been estimated at around 20% in 1200. France and England did not reach a 20% level of urbanization until the 18th Century.
Successful Economic Development
The development of a large urban population allowed the Chinese economy to achieve a higher division of labor, which was the basis for further increases in productivity. Mencius described the importance of a large division of labor: "Moreover, it is necessary for each man to use the products of all the hundred crafts. If everyone must make everything he uses, the Empire will be led along the path of incessant toil." Mencius Book III Part A.4
China's cities were centers for education and scientific research, an example of how a society should reinvest it's surplus product, into research to discover new technologies that further increased the societies potential relative population-density. Furthermore, the higher educational level created the conditions for China to develop a rich culture in art and poetry. This further increased the societies potential to make scientific discoveries, since the principles of scientific discovery are the same as the principles of metaphor in good art and poetry.
Although China went through a number of very troubled times, China's economic development, in many of periods up through the Song dynasty, was remarkably successful for a nation, during this period in history. China's development during successful periods can be compared to the conditions for development that we discussed earlier.
* The living standard of the population) was increasing.
* The level of capital investment was increasing. This can be seen in areas such as the growth of iron production, which far exceeded any other country on earth.
* A surplus was produced that was invested in crucial areas such as education. For example, during the Song Dynasty, the state school system was capable of supporting 200,000 students.
* Improvements in technology were allowing the Chinese economy to produce this increased product with less effort.
* The Chinese were making significant scientific discoveries that further improved the productivity of Chinese society. For example, the Chinese invented printing, and China under the Song Dynasty was the first society with the widespread use of printed books, greatly increasing the transmission of ideas.
* All of this is reflected in the increased potential relative population density, and the increased level of urbanization.
Scientific Discovery is Necessary for Survival
In the 13th Century, China was hit by catastrophe, with the Mongol invasion. The level of genocide is illustrated by the drop in the population from approximately 120 million in 1200, to half that level, 125 years later.
Although China began to recover, under the Ming and Qing Dynasties (1368-1911), growth fell short of the requirements for sound economic development that we have described. Problems developed in the Chinese economy, as China failed to maintain a commitment to continual scientific and technological progress.
Although China grew, in area and population, the percentage of the population living in urban centers actually decreased. Following the Mongol invasion, no city again reached 1 million until 1850. China's population, which was about 60 million in 1368, increased to some 200 million by 1600, reaching around 430 million in 1850. However, in 1820, the level of urbanization had declined to 7%, a dramatic decrease from the 20% level of 600 years earlier.
That China did not maintain and further increase the level of urbanization during this period, is indicative of its failure to continue scientific and technological progress. The increased population remained in the countryside, where it continued to use the same technology. Tragically, rather than creating new industries to utilize the increased population, more labor-intensive techniques were introduced in agriculture, for example, a plow designed to be pulled by humans.
The shift towards more labor-intensive practices, decreased the output per person, and lowered the potential relative population-density. None of the conditions, that we have described as necessary for successful economic development were met. The population's living standard declined. Consequently, the implements used by many of the farmers, at the beginning of the 20th Century, were more primitive than those described in a 1313 book by Wang Chen.
Also, the destructive effect on China of British opium trafficking during the 19th Century cannot be underestimated. The amount of money looted out of China was so massive that it caused a severe disruption of the economy and society. By 1900, a great part of government revenues went to pay debts forced on the Chinese as war reparations, for attempting to defend themselves from the British opium traffickers. Even worse, it was precisely the intelligentsia, who would have mastered and introduced the new technologies of the West, who were destroyed. By 1880, there were an estimated 30-40 million opium addicts, or possibly, even more.
Ancient China's Technology
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There are many record of the the West learning from Ancient china to accelerate their development in academic works. Please learn and stop wasting my time.
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