The Transmission of the European Clock-Making Technology into China in the 17^th-18^th Centuries

Abstract

Starting in the late 16th century European religious missionaries were sent to China. Such Jesuit missionaries as Matteo Ricci played an important role in the transmission of European knowledge to China. In order to promote their religious mission, they brought European scientific knowledge, instruments and clocks to China. In the 17th century, Jesuits constructed clocks for emperors in Imperial Palace. Chinese craftsmen made copies of European clocks and they established clock-making workshops in such cities as Suzhou and Guangzhou. The main reason why Chinese people accepted European clock-making technology is the fact that European clocks were functionally superior to such traditional timepieces as clepsydra, gnomon, sundial and so on.