Benjamin Elman is like an 18th century Chinese encyclopedist: he has collected together a summary of almost everything that is known about the history of Chinese science since the arrival of the Jesuits in the late 15th century, organized it chronologically and thematically, and added judicious commentary. The result is a synthesis of western, Chinese, and Japanese scholarship that is truly impressive. For any student embarking on research in this field, Elman's publications are essential reading.
This book, aimed at the college textbook market, covers much of the same ground as his previous monograph On Their Own Terms, Science in China 1500–1900 (Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 2005). Elman describes the state of Chinese knowledge about the natural world on the eve of interaction with western science, and documents the whole range of scientific interactions and accommodations undertaken by Chinese literati up until the fall of the Qing Dynasty...