Shen kua biography
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Shen Kuo
Chinese scientist and statesman
In this Chinese name, the family name is Shen.
Shen Kuo | |
|---|---|
Bust of Shen at the Beijing Ancient Observatory | |
| Born | Qiantang, Song Empire |
| Died | (aged6364) Runzhou, Song Empire |
| Knownfor | Geomorphology, Climate change, Atmospheric refraction, True north, Retrogradation, Camera obscura, Raised-relief map, fixing the position of the pole star, correcting lunar and solar errors |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Agronomy, Astronomy, Archaeology, Anatomy, Antiquarianism, Mathematics, Pharmacology, Medical science, Entomology, Mineralogy, Music, Geomorphology, Sedimentology, Optical engineering, Soil science, Encyclopedism, Geomagnetics, Optics, Hydraulics, Hydraulic engineering, Mechanical engineering, Metallurgy, Metaphysics, Meteorology, Climatology, Cartography, Botany, Zoology, Economics, Finance, Military strategy, Ethnography, Divination, Art criticism, Philosophy, Poetry, Politics, Public Administration |
Shen () was a native in Qian Tang of Zhejiang Province. He held a number of official posts during his life. He served as an envoy to the Liao Kingdom and led troops in battle. At one time he served as the highest financial official, and even director of the imperial observatory.
Shen Kuo completed his famous scientific workMeng Xi Bi Tan(Dream Pool Essays) after retirement. In the book, he wrote a lot about the animals and plants he had seen when traveling through the country, such as giant clam in the South Sea, crocodil
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Quick Info
Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China
Ching-k'ou, China
Biography
Shen Kua is also known as Shen Kuo or Shen Gua. His father was Shen Chou and his mother's family name was Hsu. Both seem to have been quite old when Shen Kua was born; his father being around 53 years old, and his mother about 44 or 45 years old. Shen Chou was a government official who moved around between various posts in the provinces before ending his career in the legal profession in the capital Kaifeng. Shen Kua's mother came from the Soochow region of China and played an extremely important role in her son's upbringing since all his early education came from his mother.When he was about nine years old, Shen Kua began to move around the country with his father as he went from one post to th