Qintianjian

The National Observatory in ancient China was responsible for observing celestial phenomena and promulgating calendars. Qin Tianjianzheng is equivalent to the director of the National Observatory. Since the calendar is related to the agricultural season, and the ancients believed that changes in celestial phenomena directly corresponded to changes in personnel, the status of Qin Tianjianzheng was very important. The calendar calculation method used in the Ming Dynasty had large errors, which was not conducive to the rule of the dynasty. At this time, the missionaries brought the Zhan calendar.

1. Matteo Ricci (early Qing Dynasty)

An Italian Jesuit missionary who came to China in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. The word is Xitai. At the age of 21, he joined the Jesuits and received clerical education at the Roman College. In 1577, he studied Portuguese at the University of Cimbra in Lisbon. The following year, he went to Goa, India, to preach under the protection of the Portuguese Patriarchate. In 1589 he was promoted to priest. In 1582, he went to Macau to study Chinese at the order of Fan Li'an, the Jesuit envoy to the Far East. The following year, he went to Zhaoqing, Guangdong to settle down with another Italian Jesuit, Luo Mingjian. The first missionary station was established in the mainland. In order to adapt to Chinese social customs, he shaved his hair and wore monk's robes, called himself a monk, and named his residence Xianhua Temple. During his stay in Zhaoqing, he invited guests to visit his "Map of Mountains and Seas" and imitation globes, sundials, etc., which were highly valued by people at the time. The Map of Mountains and Seas was printed and circulated in 1584. Matteo Ricci's missionary strategy to China, which tolerated social customs such as respecting Confucius and worshiping ancestors, was quite controversial among Westerners and missionaries in China, and later triggered a controversy over Chinese etiquette. His suggestion to send astronomical experts to China to revise the calendar in order to consolidate the political status of missionaries in China was not adopted during his lifetime. He died in Beijing in 1610. He wrote "On Friendship", which recounted hundreds of maxims about making friends by Aristotle, Cicero and other philosophers. Completed the first draft of the first Chinese religious treatise "The Real Meaning of Heavenly Learning".

2. Tang Ruowang (early Qing Dynasty)

Tang Ruowang was another famous missionary during the Ming and Qing Dynasties after Matteo Ricci. He was a German who was sent by the Portuguese Jesuits to preach in China. He entered China in the second year of Qi tomorrow (1622) and took the Chinese name Tang Ruowang. He had professional knowledge in astronomy. In the third year of Chongzhen (1630), Xu Guangqi was preparing to revise the new calendar and transferred Tang Ruowang from Xi'an to Beijing to join the calendar bureau and become Xu Guangqi's assistant. He was not only an astronomer, but also very good at machinery manufacturing. He helped Emperor Chongzhen create the powerful "Hongyi Cannon", which played a huge role in the war against the Qing army. This made both the Ming and Qing Dynasties Regard him as a rare all-round talent

3. Ming'an Tu (Kangxi-Qianlong period)

Ming'an Tu is from the Zhengbai Banner of Mongolia and is very good in history. With great achievements, Emperor Kangxi found out that his intelligence was extraordinary and favored him very much. He ordered him to accompany him when he was on a tour. Along the way, Kangxi told Ming Antur that he should "receive mathematics" like a teacher and a disciple. "Emperor Shengzuren is a profound and extraordinary person." Kangxi summoned Mei Wending and Mei Juecheng to the palace, asked him to participate in the compilation of calendars and arithmetic, and taught him the "borrowing method." Mei Juecheng called himself "the enshrined In the inner court, Emperor Sheng Zuren taught him the method of borrowing roots. Read it with respect and love, its method is wonderful. "

The author of "The Shortcut Method of Cutting Circle Density" is the first person in China to use analytical methods to study pi. These outstanding figures from ethnic minorities have made significant contributions to the development of the motherland.

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