Being a part of ancient Chinese civilization , ancient Chinese science and technology had their own characteristics distinctive from other ancient civilizations . The Chinese have been very pragmatically . The ancient Chinese science was marked by pragmatism . First , in the respect of astronomy . Ancient Chinese astronomy had great achievements . One reason for the astronomic achievements was that the pragmatic ancient monarchs had to prove they were “mandated by heaven”. So , they stressed observation of heavenly phenomena and calendared system . They considered calendar to be of “great importance to the state” , and set up a special office for observation of heavenly phenomena and for revision of calendar .
Even during the Wei-Jin-Northern-Southern Dynasties , when China was in a great tu
rmoil , the tradition of stressing astronomy was not broken . Therefore , the records on astronomy and calendar in ancient China were very prolific . Next , in he respect of agriculture . Ancient Chinese agronomy was fairly developed . More than three hundred agronomic works appeared . The technique of land measurement and map drawing attained a high level . This was due to he policy of “state based upon farming” adopted by the monarchs . In the respect of physics , ancient Chinese physic scored great successes . High governmental officials had o take care of production in the different parts of the country . The renowned “four great inventions” came out from practical needs . The inventions of paper making , compass and printing were prompted by the needs of communication in a vast , centralized country . The invention of gunpowder was related to alchemy , but was also related to military purposes ..
The pragmatic approach of ancient Chinese science and technology was taken in all disciplines of learning . Ancient 
Chinese mathematics was known for the solution of practical problems . For instance , the “Nine-Chapter Arithmetic” contained the solutions of 246 problems listed in nine chapters , related to square fields , grains , fraction , subtraction and addition , multiplication and division , average , surplus and deficiency , equation , and right triangle , all closely related o production . In he Ming Dynasty a large number of books on arithmetic were edited . But works not related to business of the government and the people , even though they were handed down from the ancient “Nine-Chapter Arithmetic”, were discarded . This principle articulated a strong flavor of pragmatism . Astronomy was affiliated to calendar ; and biology was affiliated to agriculture and medicine . All the disciplines specified the course of development with a pragmatic approach .
Pragmatism enabled China to stand in the forefront of the world for a long time . Because of the pragmatic needs of the state , the monarchs of all the feudal dynasties were willing “to organize the social resources by means of the state power” to spur the evolution of science and technology . Occasionally this happened in ancient Greece , medieval Europe and Muslim empires too , but when the monarchs concerned died or lost the power , this soon ceased . In China , special scientific research institutes were established very early , including the royal observatory and royal medical college , etc . The sate gathered many specialists to engage in researches on astronomy , mathematics , medicine and technologies . For example , the astronomic data recorded in the books of history of all dynasties , the books on medicine and the pharmaceutical codes , etc ., all relied on the cooperation of many scientists organized by the state . Dynasties might rise and fall , but this tradition was always inherited .
This was not so in Europe before the modern times . At the same time , the practical needs of he society and individuals also played at role in the development of science and technology . However , this characteristic also limits the
development of science and technology . History shows that the founding of important scientific theories was not based on pragmatism , but rather on curiosity beyond pragmatism . For instance , the ancient Greek mathematician Euclid was disgusted at pragmatism . Once , when one of his disciples asked him what the use of geometry was , he immediately told a slave attendant to give the disciple a gold coin and dismissed him . Euclid devoted his life exploring the essence of the world by researches on geometrical figures . After Renaissance , this impractical scientific theory , in combination with algebra , formed a new mathematical basis for the leaping forward of the modern Western science and technology . But in China , the orientation of pragmatism limited the thinking of the people and made it impossible for Chinese science and technology to leap forward on a new level . This is the tragic and aspect of pragmatism .
