Introduction
The National Palace Museum’s collection of rare mathematical books is not only a rich repository of historical texts but also a testament to the development of mathematics in China. This exhibition, Mathematics and the Universe: Mathematical Knowledge in the National Palace Museum’s Rare Book Collection, takes visitors on a journey through time, exploring how mathematics rose from a branch of technical knowledge known as fangji to become an imperial pursuit in the Qing dynasty, valued both for its application in statecraft and its role in validating the Way of Heaven.
The exhibition traces the development of mathematics in traditional Han Chinese culture, from the Hetu and Luoshu of the pre-Qin period and the Ten Mathematical Classics (Suanjing shi shu) to the advanced tianyuan shu of the Song and Yuan dynasties, the practical arithmetic of the Ming dynasty, and the introduction of Western learning in the late Ming period, culminating in the exchange of Chinese and Western mathematical ideas during the Qing dynasty. Among the rare and precious editions on display are the Song dynasty’s Yang Hui’s Methods of Computation (Yang Hui suanfa), Zhu Shijie’s Newly Compiled Jade Mirror of the Four Unknowns (Xinbian siyuan yujian) of the Yuan dynasty, and A Preliminary Collection of Celestial Learning (Tianxue chuhan), compiled by Li Zhizao in the Ming dynasty. The latter includes Euclid's Elements (Ji he yuan ben), translated jointly by Xu Guangqi and Matteo Ricci, documenting a pivotal moment in the introduction of Western learning to China and the transmission of geometry. Also featured is Imperially Commissioned Basic Mathematical Principles (Yuzhi shuli jingyun), a landmark compilation completed during the reign of the Kangxi emperor. This work offers a vivid glimpse into the emperor’s dedication to learning and his personal efforts to promote Western science.
What distinguishes the Museum’s collection is its strong imperial character. From monumental scientific encyclopedias commissioned by the Qing court to Western surveying and measuring instruments personally examined and handled by the emperors, the collection vividly embodies the Museum’s defining characteristics: imperial patronage, the integration of ancient and contemporary knowledge, and the convergence of Chinese and Western traditions.
We invite you to explore how, through mathematics, people of the past measured heaven and earth and sought to probe the vastness of the universe.