Agricultural and technological treatises

Bianmin tuzuan 便民圖纂

A comprehensive treatise on agriculture, this book was published in the late Ming, although there are disputes regarding its authorship. The first juan is a collection of illustrations on growing wet rice and sericulture, while the rest are descriptions without illustrations. Like many other agricultural treatises, it describes ways in which crops, including staple food crops and economic crops, trees, flowers, etc., should be grown. It is, nonetheless, peculiar in the sense that it also includes sections on weather forecast, veterinary medicine, and storing, producing, and taking care of daily life matters (vinegar, raincoats, ink, fur, etc). It also guides people how to build houses, dig wells, and so forth. In a way, it is a combination of an agricultural and tech treatise, and a handbook for daily life. 

Shuyi pian 樹藝篇

This text is dated as originating in the Yuan, but the content determines that it was probably from the late Ming, as it collects many sections from previous works which dated up to the late Ming. As the title indicates, this book is about the art of planting. It is divided into six parts (grain, vegetable, herb, herbal drug, tree, fruit), each of which has a few juan. In most cases, this book copies sections from previous works and original information is thus scarce. It has no illustrations.

Tiangong kaiwu 天工開物

Probably the best-known agricultural and technological encyclopedia in the Ming and Qing. Compiled in the late Ming, author Song Yingxing served as a low-ranking official in a few places and travelled extensively across the empire. Unlike many other treatises or encyclopedias, this book does not simply cite other sources but provides information that Song either collected from other people or obtained from his own observation. Therefore, it is a great source on late Ming technology. There are eighteen sections on the production of grain, cloth, dye, salt, sugar, ceramics, paper, metallurgy, etc. Each section has detailed illustrations on the process of each production.

Nongzheng quanshu 農政全書

The author of this book, Xu Guangqi, was also an agronomist in addition to being a well-known astronomer and mathematician. This book starts with agricultural theories and principles by citing previous classics and adding Xu's own commentary. The theories and principles are concerned with the ways in which people recognize different types of soil, plow fields, fertilize, irrigate, and so on. This book also introduces by illustrations various agricultural tools, including those from the West. The rest of the book follows normal treatises describing methods of cultivating plants and raising livestock and poultry. In general, most sources come from previous works and his original observations are limited.

Shenshi nongshu 沈氏農書

This book was probably written by a person surnamed Shen in Zhejiang in the late Ming. The current edition was compiled and amended by an early Qing scholar Zhang Lvxiang. It has four parts concerning monthly agricultural activities, cultivating crops in the fields, sericulture, and knowledge for daily use.

撫郡農產考略

中外農學合編

农学纂要

欽定授時通考

Natural History

救荒本草

群芳譜

廣群芳譜

植物名實圖考

Gezhi and mathematics

物理小識

算法統宗

Astrology and astronomy

天文備考

德風亭集

Medicine

本草綱目

本草綱目拾遺

瘟疫論

Weapons

火龍神器陣法

武備志

紀效新書

神器譜

Bibliography

See Classical Historiography for Chinese History, a website research guide initiated by Benjamin Elman at Princeton University.