The Infrastructure of Science Making in Early Modern China

Abstract

Abstract In the early modern era China witnessed an explosive growth in discourse regarding things known as bowu. In some ways resembling the study of natural history in Europe, it was oriented toward the strange and exotic. A renowned bowu master, Xie Zhaozhe left behind prolific writings on the subject, recording not only the natural historical knowledge he amassed but also how he produced that knowledge. Using Xie as an empirical case, this article proposes a model for an “infrastructure of science making” with which to conceptualize early modern Chinese science as a situated knowledge. It explores the profiles of Xie’s book learning, of his real-world encounters with natural phenomena through praxis, and of his collaboration and exchange with other members of his discursive community. An in-depth examination of these parameters in his knowledge infrastructure raises some salient points for understanding the broader trends in natural studies in early modern China and the wider early modern world.