Li, Qi and Shu: An Introduction to Science and Civilization in China

Li, Qi and Shu: An Introduction to Science and Civilization in China (softcover, 262 pp.) by by Ho Peng Yoke. For a genuine understanding of Chinese culture, it is necessary to immerse oneself in some of the subtle concepts - including li, qi, and shu, and a few others-that permeate every field of mental endeavor from literature to astrology to mathematics. The first part of this book covers not only the concepts of li, qi, and shu, but also yin, yang, wuxing, and yijing. Part Two considers the develpment of Chinese mathematics, its Golden Age, and its decline; Part Three covers astronomy, the cosmological schools, calendrical science, and astrolgy; and Part Four focuses on alchemy, magic and the search for immortality, elixir poisoning, and other topics. Of particular interest to those fasciated by Chinese civilization and its culture, this book also will find an eager audience among New Agers, as well as students of mathematics, astronomy, and the history of science.