Zhang Heng ( Chinese : 張 衡 ; AD 78–139), formerly romanized Chang Heng , was a Chinese polymathic scientist and statesman who lived during the Eastern Han dynasty . Educated in the capital cities of Luoyang and Chang'an , he achieved success as an astronomer , mathematician , seismologist , hydraulic engineer , inventor , geographer , cartographer , ethnographer , artist , poet , philosopher , politician, and literary scholar.
122-522: Zhang Heng began his career as a minor civil servant in Nanyang . Eventually, he became Chief Astronomer, Prefect of the Majors for Official Carriages, and then Palace Attendant at the imperial court. His uncompromising stance on historical and calendrical issues led to his becoming a controversial figure, preventing him from rising to the status of Grand Historian. His political rivalry with the palace eunuchs during
244-559: A flat, square Earth was later criticized by the Jin-dynasty scholar-official Yu Xi (fl. 307–345). He suggested that the Earth could be round like the heavens, a spherical Earth theory fully accepted by mathematician Li Ye (1192–1279) but not by mainstream Chinese science until European influence in the 17th century. The outflow clepsydra was a timekeeping device used in China as long ago as
366-460: A fu rhapsody called " Fu on Pondering the Mystery", which vents his frustration. Rafe de Crespigny states that Zhang's rhapsody used imagery similar to Qu Yuan 's (340–278 BC) poem " Li Sao " and focused on whether or not good men should flee the corrupted world or remain virtuous within it. While working for the central court, Zhang Heng had access to a variety of written materials located in
488-612: A court gentleman working for the Imperial Secretariat . He was promoted to Chief Astronomer for the court, serving his first term from 115 to 120 under Emperor An and his second under the succeeding emperor from 126 to 132. As Chief Astronomer, Zhang was a subordinate of the Minister of Ceremonies, one of Nine Ministers ranked just below the Three Excellencies. In addition to recording heavenly observations and portents, preparing
610-747: A deep knowledge of classic texts, Chinese philosophy , and histories . He also compiled a commentary on the Taixuan ( 太玄 , "Great Mystery") by the Daoist author Yang Xiong (53 BC–AD 18). Xiao Tong (501–531), a crown prince of the Liang dynasty (502–557), immortalized several of Zhang's works in his literary anthology Selections of Refined Literature . Zhang's fu rhapsodies include "Western Metropolis Rhapsody" ( Xī jīng fù 西京賦 ), "Eastern Metropolis Rhapsody" ( Dōng jīng fù 東京賦 ), "Southern Capital Rhapsody" ( Nán dū fù 南都賦 ), "Rhapsody on Contemplating
732-454: A gong or a bell with its mechanically operated arm. However, there is evidence to suggest that the invention of the odometer was a gradual process in Han dynasty China that centered on the "huang men"—court people (i.e. eunuchs, palace officials, attendants and familiars, actors, acrobats, etc.) who followed the musical procession of the royal "drum-chariot". There is speculation that at some time during
854-443: A good foundation for development. Nanyang is a great city of education. It has a fine tradition of respecting teachers and teaching and educating students. It has taken the lead in proposing a strategy of science and education in the country. In particular, in recent years, the municipal party committee and the municipal government have attached great importance to education. The education industry in our city has developed vigorously and
976-727: A means to criticize himself for failing to obtain high office, but coming to the conclusion that the true gentleman displays virtue instead of greed for power. In this work, Dominik Declercq asserts that the person urging Zhang to advance his career in a time of government corruption most likely represented the eunuchs or Empress Liang 's (116–150) powerful relatives in the Liang clan . Declercq states that these two groups would have been "anxious to know whether this famous scholar could be lured over to their side", but Zhang flatly rejected such an alignment by declaring in this politically charged piece of literature that his gentlemanly quest for virtue trumped any desire of his for power. Zhang wrote about
1098-504: A minister of finance, Zhang continued his literary work at home in Xi'e. Zhang Heng began his studies in astronomy at the age of 30 and began publishing his works on astronomy and mathematics . In 112, Zhang was summoned to the court of Emperor An (r. 106–125), who had heard of his expertise in mathematics. When he was nominated to serve at the capital, Zhang was escorted by carriage—a symbol of his official status—to Luoyang, where he became
1220-479: A pendulum carries pins projecting in many directions and able to pierce a surrounding paper cylinder, have been described." Hong-sen Yan states that modern replicas of Zhang's device have failed to reach the level of accuracy and sensitivity described in Chinese historical records. Wang Zhenduo presented two different models of the seismoscope based on the ancient descriptions of Zhang's device. In his 1936 reconstruction,
1342-469: A political and cultural center of southwestern Henan province and a hub for trade. Nanyang is located in southwestern Henan, bordering Hubei ( Xiangyang , Shiyan , and Suizhou ) to the south, Shaanxi ( Shangluo ) to the west and the following prefecture-level cities in Henan: The latitude of the entire prefecture ranges from 32° 17' to 33° 48' N, while the longitude ranges from 110° 58' to 113° 49' E, and
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#17328491252561464-482: A professor of early Chinese history at the University of California, Santa Barbara , names Zhang Heng as one of several high-ranking Eastern-Han officials who engaged in crafts that were traditionally reserved for artisans ( gong 工), such as mechanical engineering. Barbieri-Low speculates that Zhang only designed his seismoscope, but did not actually craft the device himself. He asserts that this would most likely have been
1586-617: A range of highly contrasted moods, colour, and tonality . An air of spontaneous inspiration and a sense of improvisation make it freer in form than a set of variations . The word rhapsody is derived from the Greek : ῥαψῳδός , rhapsōidos , a reciter of epic poetry (a rhapsodist ), and came to be used in Europe by the 16th century as a designation for literary forms, not only epic poems, but also for collections of miscellaneous writings and, later, any extravagant expression of sentiment or feeling. In
1708-439: A salary of 2,000 bushels and had the right to escort the emperor. As Palace Attendant to Emperor Shun, Zhang Heng attempted to convince him that the court eunuchs represented a threat to the imperial court. Zhang pointed to specific examples of past court intrigues involving eunuchs, and convinced Shun that he should assume greater authority and limit their influence. The eunuchs attempted to slander Zhang, who responded with
1830-485: A same level of importance with documents ( shu ) . It is documented that a physical geography map was first presented by Zhang Heng in 116 AD, called a Dixingtu (地形圖). Zhang Heng is often credited with inventing the first odometer , an achievement also attributed to Archimedes (c. 287–212 BC) and Heron of Alexandria (fl. AD 10–70). Similar devices were used by the Roman and Han-Chinese empires at about
1952-432: A series of recent earthquakes which could be interpreted as signs of displeasure from Heaven. The ancient Chinese viewed natural calamities as cosmological punishments for misdeeds that were perpetrated by the Chinese ruler or his subordinates on earth. In Zhang's memorial discussing the reasons behind these natural disasters, he criticized the new recruitment system of Zuo Xiong which fixed the age of eligible candidates for
2074-488: A total of 1,500 taxis were in operation in Nanyang; all of them run on natural gas. In addition, there are more than 1,790 app-taxis and 35.98% of them are powered by renewable energy. Dockless app based bikeshares such as DiDi Bike and Hellobike are also available. Nanyang has planned six light rail lines with a total track mileage of 134 km. The official language of Nanyang is Mandarin Chinese , but most locals speak
2196-413: A work modeled on Yang Xiong's "Justification Against Ridicule", Zhang was an early writer and proponent of the Chinese literary genre shelun , or hypothetical discourse. Authors of this genre created a written dialogue between themselves and an imaginary person (or a real person of their entourage or association); the latter poses questions to the author on how to lead a successful life. He also used it as
2318-511: Is 1.6 °C (34.9 °F) and in July it is 27.0 °C (80.6 °F); the annual mean is 15.2 °C (59.4 °F). More than half the annual rainfall occurs from June to August.Winter lasts for 110-135 days, followed by summer for 110-120 days, and spring and autumn for 55-70 days. The whole city area has a population over 10.26 million, which is the twelfth prefecture-level city in China now. The built-up area has over 1.8 million people, which
2440-526: Is a prefecture-level city in the southwest of Henan province, China. The city with the largest administrative area in Henan, Nanyang borders Xinyang to the southeast, Zhumadian to the east, Pingdingshan to the northeast, Luoyang to the north, Sanmenxia to the northwest, the province of Shaanxi to the west, and the province of Hubei to the south. Nanyang is known for its outstanding people and land, producing numerous talents. In history, it has nurtured
2562-461: Is a policeman. These figures guide the indicator-rod (lit. arrow) with their left hands, and indicate the graduations on it with their right hands, thus giving the time. Zhang Heng is the first person known to have applied hydraulic motive power (i.e. by employing a waterwheel and clepsydra ) to rotate an armillary sphere , an astronomical instrument representing the celestial sphere . The Greek astronomer Eratosthenes (276–194 BC) invented
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#17328491252562684-550: Is like fire and the Moon like water. The fire gives out light and the water reflects it. Thus the Moon's brightness is produced from the radiance of the Sun, and the Moon's darkness is due to (the light of) the Sun being obstructed. The side which faces the Sun is fully lit, and the side which is away from it is dark. 衆星被燿，因水轉光。當日之衝，光常不合者，蔽於地也。是謂闇虛。在星星微，月過則食。 The planets (as well as the Moon) have
2806-426: Is served by the following rail lines: Nanjing-Xi'an Railway , Jiaozuo-Liuzhou Railway , Haoji Railway , and Zhengzhou–Wanzhou high-speed railway . Nanyang has three major railway stations: Nanyang railway station , Nanyang East railway station , and Nanyang West railway station. There are also several other small stations serving suburban areas. Direct train service is available to Beijing, Shenyang, and Harbin to
2928-537: Is the fifth largest city in Henan Province. About 1 million commute from the city, mainly to Zhengzhou, Guangdong province, Beijing and Shanghai. The majority of the province is Han; among the minority nationalities are the Hui people and Man people . As of the 2020 Chinese census , Nanyang was home to 9,713,112 people, ranking nineteenth in China, and its built-up ( or metro ) area made of Wolong and Wancheng Districts
3050-514: The Yijing , in its fifty-first hexagram. There were other early theories about earthquakes, developed by those such as the ancient Greeks . Anaxagoras (c. 500–428 BC) believed that they were caused by excess water near the surface crust of the earth bursting into the Earth's hollows; Democritus (c. 460–370 BC) believed that the saturation of the Earth with water caused them; Anaximenes (c. 585–c. 525 BC) believed they were
3172-560: The Henan dialect , with its easily identifiable stereotypical features; this local dialect is known as Nanyang Hua ( 南阳话 ), and is spoken by about 15 million people in the area. There are mainly Chu culture series, Han culture series, Three Kingdoms culture series, and various ancient architectural development and utilization series. The rare treasures unearthed from the Spring and Autumn tombs in Danyang,
3294-584: The Moon and its relationship to the Sun : specifically, he discussed the Moon's sphericity, its illumination by reflected sunlight on one side and the hidden nature of the other, and the nature of solar and lunar eclipses . His fu (rhapsody) and shi poetry were renowned in his time and studied and analyzed by later Chinese writers. Zhang received many posthumous honors for his scholarship and ingenuity; some modern scholars have compared his work in astronomy to that of
3416-492: The Qin and Han dynasty, respectively, as evidenced by their existing maps, while the use of a rectangular grid had been known in China since the Han as well. Historian Howard Nelson states that, although the accounts of Zhang Heng's work in cartography are somewhat vague and sketchy, there is ample written evidence that Pei Xiu derived the use of the rectangular grid reference from the maps of Zhang Heng. Rafe de Crespigny asserts that it
3538-505: The Shang dynasty (c. 1600–c. 1050 BC), and certainly by the Zhou dynasty (1122–256 BC). The inflow clepsydra with an indicator rod on a float had been known in China since the beginning of the Han dynasty in 202 BC and had replaced the outflow type. The Han Chinese noted the problem with the falling pressure head in the reservoir, which slowed the timekeeping of the device as
3660-842: The Sui dynasty (581–618). Like Zhang, Xindu Fang and Lin Xiaogong were given imperial patronage for their services in craftsmanship of devices for the court. By the time of the Yuan dynasty (1271–1368), it was acknowledged that all devices previously made were preserved, except for that of the seismoscope. This was discussed by the scholar Zhou Mi around 1290, who remarked that the books of Xindu Fang and Lin Xiaogong detailing their seismological devices were no longer to be found. Horwitz, Kreitner, and Needham speculate if Tang dynasty (618–907) era seismographs found their way to contemporary Japan ; according to Needham, "instruments of apparently traditional type there in which
3782-443: The heliocentric model . Although the ancient Warring States (403–221 BC) Chinese astronomers Shi Shen and Gan De had compiled China's first star catalogue in the 4th century BC, Zhang nonetheless catalogued 2,500 stars which he placed in a "brightly shining" category (the Chinese estimated the total to be 14,000), and he recognized 124 constellations. In comparison, this star catalogue featured many more stars than
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3904-609: The "Rhapsody on the Two Capitals" by the historian Ban Gu. Zhang's work was similar to Ban's, although the latter fully praised the contemporaneous Eastern Han regime while Zhang provided a warning that it could suffer the same fate as the Western Han if it too declined into a state of decadence and moral depravity. These two works satirized and criticized what he saw as the excessive luxury of the upper classes. Zhang's "Southern Capital Rhapsody" commemorated his home city of Nanyang, home of
4026-470: The "sage of science" Zhang Heng, "sage of medicine" Zhang Zhongjing, "sage of commerce" Fan Li, and "sage of intelligence" Zhuge Liang. It has also nurtured contemporary celebrities such as philosopher Feng Youlan, military strategist Peng Xuefeng, literary figure Yao Xueyin, technological inventor Wang Yongmin, and writer Er Yuehe. Dinosaur egg fossils have been discovered in the Nanyang Basin . In
4148-565: The 18th century, literary rhapsodies first became linked with music, as in Christian Friedrich Daniel Schubart 's Musicalische Rhapsodien (1786), a collection of songs with keyboard accompaniment, together with a few solo keyboard pieces. The first solo piano compositions with the title, however, were Václav Jan Tomášek’s fifteen Rhapsodies, the first of which appeared in 1810. Although vocal examples may be found as late as Brahms's Alto Rhapsody , Op. 53 (1869), in
4270-497: The 19th century the rhapsody had become primarily an instrumental form, first for the piano and then, in the second half of the century, a large-scale nationalistic orchestral "epic"—a fashion initiated by Franz Liszt . Interest in Romani violin playing beginning in the mid-19th century led to a number of important pieces in that style, in particular by Liszt, Antonín Dvořák , George Enescu , Ernst von Dohnányi , and Béla Bartók , and in
4392-480: The 1st century BC the beating of drums and gongs was mechanically driven by the rotation of the road wheels. This might have actually been the design of Luoxia Hong (c. 110 BC), yet by at least 125 the mechanical odometer carriage was already known, as it was depicted in a mural of the Xiao Tang Shan Tomb. The south-pointing chariot was another mechanical device credited to Zhang Heng. It
4514-543: The 850 documented by the Greek astronomer Hipparchus ( c. 190 – c. 120 BC ) in his catalogue, and more than Ptolemy (AD 83–161), who catalogued over 1,000. Zhang supported the "radiating influence" theory to explain solar and lunar eclipses, a theory which was opposed by Wang Chong (AD 27–97). In the Ling Xian , Zhang wrote: 夫日譬猶火，月譬猶水，火則外光，水則含景。故月光生於日之所照，魄生於日之所蔽，當日則光盈，就日則光盡也。 The Sun
4636-752: The Archives of the Eastern Pavilion. Zhang read many of the great works of history in his day and claimed he had found ten instances where the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian (145–90 BC) and the Book of Han by Ban Gu (AD 32–92) differed from other ancient texts that were available to him. His account was preserved and recorded in the 5th-century text of the Book of Later Han by Fan Ye (398–445). His rhapsodies and other literary works displayed
4758-411: The Chinese approximated pi as 3; Liu Xin (d. CE 23) made the first known Chinese attempt at a more accurate calculation of 3.154, but there is no record detailing the method he used to obtain this figure. In his work around 130, Zhang Heng compared the celestial circle to the diameter of the earth, proportioning the former as 736 and the latter as 232, thus calculating pi as 3.1724. In Zhang's day,
4880-489: The Chinese cyclical beliefs in yin and yang . In a poem criticizing the previous Western Han dynasty, Zhang wrote: 得之者強， 據之者久。 流長則難竭， 柢深則難朽。 故奢泰肆情， 馨烈彌茂。 Those who won this territory were strong; Those who depended on it endured. When a stream is long, its water is not easily exhausted. When roots are deep, they do not rot easily. Therefore, as extravagance and ostentation were given free rein, The odor became pungent and increasingly fulsome. For centuries
5002-569: The Greco-Roman Ptolemy (AD 86–161). Born in the town of Xi'e in Nanyang Commandery (north of the modern Nanyang City in Henan province ), Zhang Heng came from a distinguished but not affluent family. His grandfather Zhang Kan ( 張堪 ) had been governor of a commandery and one of the leaders who supported the restoration of the Han by Emperor Guangwu (r. 25–57), following
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5124-533: The Hot Springs" ( Wēnquán fù 溫泉賦), describes the throngs of people attending the hot springs, which later became famous as the " Huaqing Hot Springs ", a favorite retreat of imperial concubine Yang Guifei during the Tang dynasty . After studying for some years at Luoyang's Taixue , he was well-versed in the classics and friends with several notable persons, including the mathematician and calligrapher Cui Yuan (78–143),
5246-500: The Liang dynasty (502–557), and successive models of water-powered armillary spheres were designed in subsequent dynasties. From the earliest times, the Chinese were concerned with the destructive force of earthquakes. It was recorded in Sima Qian's Records of the Grand Historian of 91 BC that in 780 BC an earthquake had been powerful enough to divert the courses of three rivers. It
5368-670: The Mystery" ( Sī xuán fù 思玄賦 ), and Return to the Field . The latter fuses Daoist ideas with Confucianism and was a precursor to later Chinese metaphysical nature poetry, according to Liu Wu-chi. A set of four short lyric poems entitled Lyric Poems on Four Sorrows ( Sì chóu shī 四愁詩 ), is also included with Zhang's preface. This set constitutes some of the earliest heptasyllabic shi Chinese poetry written. While still in Luoyang, Zhang became inspired to write his "Western Metropolis Rhapsody" and "Eastern Metropolis Rhapsody", which were based on
5490-466: The Passions" ( Dìng qíng fù 定情賦)—preserved in a Tang dynasty (618–907) encyclopedia, but referred to earlier by Tao Qian (365–427) in praise of Zhang's lyrical minimalism—Zhang displays his admiration for an attractive and exemplary woman. This simpler type of fu poem influenced later works by the prominent official and scholar Cai Yong (132–192). Zhang wrote: 夫何妖女之淑麗 光華豔而秀容 斷當時而呈美 冠朋匹而無雙 Ah,
5612-407: The Western Han capital. Exemplifying his attention to detail, his rhapsody on Nanyang described gardens filled with spring garlic, summer bamboo shoots , autumn leeks, winter rape-turnips, perilla , evodia , and purple ginger. Along with Sima Xiangru (179–117 BC), Zhang listed a variety of animals and hunting game inhabiting the park, which were divided in the northern and southern portions of
5734-507: The ancient capital of Chang'an. Although still intact, the graduation marks and the representations of the stars, Moon, Sun, and planets were quite worn down by time and rust. In 436, the emperor ordered Qian Luozhi, the Secretary of the Bureau of Astronomy and Calendar, to recreate Zhang's device, which he managed to do successfully. Qian's water-powered celestial globe was still in use at the time of
5856-505: The armillary rings of his predecessors into the equatorial armillary sphere, and combining it with the principles of the water-mills and hydraulic trip-hammers which had become so widespread in Chinese culture in the previous century. Zhang did not initiate the Chinese tradition of hydraulic engineering , which began during the mid Zhou dynasty (c. 6th century BC), through the work of engineers such as Sunshu Ao and Ximen Bao . Zhang's contemporary, Du Shi , (d. AD 38)
5978-619: The banks of the Bai River in Nanyang. Later, with the help of the 28 generals of the Cloud Terrace and the financial support of Nanyang, Liu Xiu successfully ascended to power and established the Eastern Han dynasty. Nanyang became the southern capital, ranking as the second largest city after Luoyang, the capital. During that time, Nanyang was home to numerous influential families. Nanyang subsequently declined somewhat in importance, but remained
6100-401: The bottom a small opening in the form of a 'jade dragon's neck'. The water dripping (from above) enters two inflow receivers (alternately), the left one being for the night and the right one for the day. 蓋上又鑄金銅仙人，居左壺；為胥徒，居右壺。皆以左手抱箭，右手指刻，以別天時早晚。 On the covers of each (inflow receiver) there are small cast statuettes in gilt bronze; the left (night) one is an immortal and the right (day) one
6222-406: The calendar was not altered, yet Zhang's proposal that apocryphal writings should be banned was rejected. The officials Liu Zhen and Liu Taotu, members of a committee to compile the dynastic history Dongguan Hanji ( 東觀漢記 ), sought permission from the court to consult Zhang Heng. However, Zhang was barred from assisting the committee due to his controversial views on apocrypha and his objection to
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#17328491252566344-616: The calendar, and reporting which days were auspicious and which ill-omened, Zhang was also in charge of an advanced literacy test for all candidates to the Imperial Secretariat and the Censorate , both of whose members were required to know at least 9,000 characters and all major writing styles. Under Emperor An, Zhang also served as Prefect of the Majors for Official Carriages under the Ministry of Guards, in charge of receiving memorials to
6466-521: The capital of Chu, are well-known and the Chu Great Wall site, known as the "father of the Great Wall of China," has attracted attention. The Han cultural relics in Nanyang, represented by the "Three Wonders of Nanyang Han Culture" such as portrait stones, portrait bricks, and pottery dogs, rank first in the country in terms of quantity, scale, content, research, and tourism value discovered; There are also
6588-510: The central pillar ( du zhu ) of the device was a suspended pendulum acting as a movement sensor, while the central pillar of his second model in 1963 was an inverted pendulum . According to Needham, while working in the Seismological Observatory of Tokyo University in 1939, Akitsune Imamura and Hagiwara made a reconstruction of Zhang's device. While it was John Milne and Wang Zhenduo who argued early on that Zhang's "central pillar"
6710-451: The chariot in the following century. Zhang Heng's mechanical inventions influenced later Chinese inventors such as Yi Xing, Zhang Sixun, Su Song, and Guo Shoujing. Su Song directly named Zhang's water-powered armillary sphere as the inspiration for his 11th-century clock tower . The cosmic model of nine points of Heaven corresponding with nine regions of earth conceived in the work of the scholar-official Chen Hongmou (1696–1771) followed in
6832-430: The chaste beauty of this alluring woman! She shines with flowery charms and blooming face. She is unique among all her contemporaries. She is without a peer among her comrades. Zhang's long lyrical poems also revealed a great amount of information on urban layout and basic geography. His rhapsody "Sir Based-On-Nothing" provides details on terrain, palaces, hunting parks, markets, and prominent buildings of Chang'an ,
6954-558: The city with industry and strengthening the city with industry", prioritizing the acceleration of the construction of a characteristic advanced manufacturing center city and making every effort to create a new highland for innovative development in the manufacturing industry. Nanyang has three main sports centers. Among them, the Nanyang First Sports and Fitness Center is the home of the Henan Golden Elephants . Nanyang
7076-472: The city's science and technology. Innovation, social progress and improvement of people's livelihood have also laid a good foundation for achieving a higher level of development at a new starting point. The prefecture-level city of Nanyang administers 2 districts , 1 county-level city and 10 counties . At present, the Nanyang Municipal Government has set the development goal of "building
7198-466: The context of the rhapsody. During the post World War II era, John Serry Sr. showcased the chromatic piano accordion within his American Rhapsody (Alpha Music Publishing, 1955). Decades later, Ney Gabriel Rosauro included the Brazilian berimbau as well as the Brazilian repinique within his Rhapsody for Solo Percussion and Orchestra (1992) while also incorporating an optional section in which
7320-462: The court was forced to admit the efficacy of the device. To indicate the direction of a distant earthquake, Zhang's device dropped a bronze ball from one of eight tubed projections shaped as dragon heads; the ball fell into the mouth of a corresponding metal object shaped as a toad, each representing a direction like the points on a compass rose . His device had eight mobile arms (for all eight directions) connected with cranks having catch mechanisms at
7442-501: The death of the usurping Wang Mang of the Xin (AD 9–23). When he was ten, Zhang's father died, leaving him in the care of his mother and grandmother. An accomplished writer in his youth, Zhang left home in the year 95 to pursue his studies in the capitals of Chang'an and Luoyang . While traveling to Luoyang, Zhang passed by a hot spring near Mount Li and dedicated one of his earliest fu poems to it. This work, entitled " Fu on
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#17328491252567564-415: The early 20th century British composers exhibiting the influence of folksong composed a number of examples, including Ralph Vaughan Williams 's three Norfolk Rhapsodies , George Butterworth 's A Shropshire Lad , and Frederick Delius 's Brigg Fair (which is subtitled "An English Rhapsody"). In modern times, several composers have endeavored to feature non-traditional orchestral instruments within
7686-438: The ecliptic also goes round the belly of the instrument at an angle of 24 (degrees) with the equator. Thus at the summer solstice the ecliptic is 67 (degrees) and a fraction away from the pole, while at the winter solstice it is 115 (degrees) and a fraction away. Hence (the points) where the ecliptic and the equator intersect should give the north polar distances of the spring and autumn equinoxes. But now (it has been recorded that)
7808-512: The face of higher education has undergone tremendous changes. There are 6 colleges and universities in the city, with nearly 90,000 students. All colleges and universities adhere to the Party's education policy, implement the fundamental tasks of Lide Shuren, and have achieved unprecedented achievements in personnel training, scientific research, social services, cultural heritage innovation and international exchanges and cooperation, which not only promotes
7930-548: The first armillary sphere in 255 BC. The Chinese armillary sphere was fully developed by 52 BC, with the astronomer Geng Shouchang's (耿壽昌) addition of a permanently fixed equatorial ring . In AD 84 the astronomers Fu An and Jia Kui added the ecliptic ring, and finally Zhang Heng added the horizon and meridian rings . This invention is described and attributed to Zhang in quotations by Hsu Chen and Li Shan, referencing his book Lou Shui Chuan Hun Thien I Chieh (Apparatus for Rotating an Armillary Sphere by Clepsydra Water). It
8052-450: The first in China to have seven words per line. His "Four Sorrows" reads: 我所思兮在太山 欲往從之樑父艱 側身東望涕沾翰 美人贈我金錯刀 何以報之英瓊瑤 路遠莫致倚逍遙 何爲懷憂心煩勞 In Taishan stays my dear sweetheart, But Liangfu keeps us long apart; Looking east, I find tears start. She gives me a sword to my delight; A jade I give her as requite. I'm at a loss as she is out of sight; Why should I trouble myself all night? In another poem of his called "Stabilizing
8174-543: The formation of Chinese civilization . The Baliqiao site in Fangcheng County is a core settlement of the Erlitou culture . It served as an important hub for the transfer and control of resources. Nanyang was the capital of the state of Shen in the first millennium BCE. After the unification of the six states by Qin, the "relocation of unruly people to Nanyang" brought together the wealthy and skilled merchants and artisans of
8296-458: The inflow vessel was filled. Zhang Heng was the first to address this problem, indicated in his writings from 117, by adding an extra compensating tank between the reservoir and the inflow vessel. Zhang also mounted two statuettes of a Chinese immortal and a heavenly guard on the top of the inflow clepsydra, the two of which would guide the indicator rod with their left hand and point out the graduations with their right. Joseph Needham states that this
8418-416: The job of artisans commissioned by Zhang. He writes: "Zhang Heng was an official of moderately high rank and could not be seen sweating in the foundries with the gong artisans and the government slaves. Most likely, he worked collaboratively with the professional casters and mold makers in the imperial workshops." The Wei (220–265) and Jin dynasty (266–420) cartographer and official Pei Xiu (224–271)
8540-577: The largest ancient iron smelting workshop in the country - the Wafangzhuang site, the sizable Han Wancheng site, the medical saint temple where the famous Han Dynasty great medical expert Zhang Zhongjing's ancestral tomb is located, and the famous tomb of the Eastern Han Dynasty scientist and writer Zhang Heng at home and abroad. The historical influence of the Three Kingdoms period is profound, and
8662-479: The most accurate calculation for pi the ancient Chinese would achieve. In his publication of AD 120 called The Spiritual Constitution of the Universe (靈憲, Ling Xian , lit. "Sublime Model"), Zhang Heng theorized that the universe was like an egg "as round as a crossbow pellet" with the stars on the shell and the Earth as the central yolk. This universe theory is congruent with the geocentric model as opposed to
8784-504: The name "Nanyang" ( simplified Chinese : 南阳 ; traditional Chinese : 南陽 ; pinyin : Nányáng ), Nan ( 南 ) means south, and Yang ( 阳 / 陽 ) means sun—the south side of a mountain, or the north side of a river, in Chinese is called Yang . The name came from Nanyang Commandery , a commandery established in the region during the Warring States period . Before
8906-563: The name "Nanyang" became associated with the city itself, it was referred to as "Wan" ( 宛 ).Nanyang, also known as Wan, Nandu, and Dixiang. 550,000 years ago, Nanzhao Man inhabited near Xinghuashan, Nanzhao . Between 5,000 BCE and 3,000 BCE, a substantial Neolithic settlement thrived in Huangshan, situated north of Nanyang. Excavations of the Huangshan ruins have uncovered remnants of jade workshops, high-level tombs, wharves, and granaries. The Huangshan Archeological Site provided insight into
9028-412: The nature of a mirror. Some of them recognized the Moon as a ball too. Those parts of the Moon which the Sun illuminates look bright, those parts which it does not, remain dark. The theory posited by Zhang and Jing was supported by later pre-modern scientists such as Shen Kuo (1031–1095), who expanded on the reasoning of why the Sun and Moon were spherical. The theory of the celestial sphere surrounding
9150-626: The nature of water and reflect light. The light pouring forth from the Sun does not always reach the Moon owing to the obstruction of the Earth itself—this is called " ànxū ", a lunar eclipse. When (a similar effect) happens with a planet (we call it) an occultation; when the Moon passes across (the Sun's path) then there is a solar eclipse. Zhang Heng viewed these astronomical phenomena in supernatural terms as well. The signs of comets, eclipses, and movements of heavenly bodies could all be interpreted by him as heavenly guides on how to conduct affairs of state. Contemporary writers also wrote about eclipses and
9272-731: The north of Nanyang city proper, there is a mountain called Mount Du , which is famous for the Dushan jade , one of the four famous jades of China, now a rarity. To the southwest is Neixiang County with the newly developing Baotianman Biosphere Reserve—an area of high biodiversity, with 65 rare and endangered species. The climate is generally moderate and is a four-season humid subtropical climate ( Köppen Cwa ), with strong monsoon influences: winters are cool but dry, and summers are hot and humid. Spring and autumn provide transitions of reasonable length. The monthly daily average temperature in January
9394-481: The north; Shanghai, Nanjing, and Hangzhou to the east; Xining, Lanzhou, and Ürümqi to the west; and Guangzhou, Xiamen, Nanning, and Kunming to the south. As of 2023, Nanyang has 898 km expressway, ranking the longest in Henan Province. The expressway is an important part of Nanyang's "One cross, three rings, and six radiations" plan. Nanyang Jiangying Airport is a civil aviation airport. It's 20 minutes from
9516-506: The northwest. As there was no perceivable tremor felt in the capital his political enemies were briefly able to relish the failure of his device, until a messenger arrived shortly afterwards to report that an earthquake had occurred about 400 km (248 mi) to 500 km (310 mi) northwest of Luoyang in Gansu province. A year after Zhang presented his seismoscope to the court, officials and candidates were asked to provide comments about
9638-524: The official and philosophical commentator Ma Rong (79–166), and the philosopher Wang Fu (78–163). Government authorities offered Zhang appointments to several offices, including a position as one of the Imperial Secretaries , yet he acted modestly and declined. At age 23, Zhang returned home with the title "Officer of Merit in Nanyang", serving as the master of documents under the administration of Governor Bao De (in office from 103 to 111). As he
9760-613: The park according to where the animals had originally come from: northern or southern China . Somewhat similar to the description of Sima Xiangru, Zhang described the Western Han emperors and their entourage enjoying boat outings, water plays, fishing, and displays of archery targeting birds and other animals with stringed arrows from the tops of tall towers along Chang'an's Kunming Lake. The focus of Zhang's writing on specific places and their terrain, society, people, and their customs could also be seen as early attempts of ethnographic categorization. In his poem "Xijing fu", Zhang shows that he
9882-542: The performers are encouraged to include a favorite exotic or folklordic instrument. In 1975, the British rock band Queen released " Bohemian Rhapsody ", a bombastic mock-operatic rock song which is in the form of a four-part suite , but performed with rock instrumentation. Though described by its composer Freddie Mercury as a "mock opera", it has also been characterized as a "sort of seven-minute rock cantata (or 'megasong') in three distinct movements". It became one of
10004-418: The periphery. When tripped, a crank and right angle lever would raise a dragon head and release a ball which had been supported by the lower jaw of the dragon head. His device also included a vertical pin passing through a slot in the crank, a catch device, a pivot on a projection, a sling suspending the pendulum, an attachment for the sling, and a horizontal bar supporting the pendulum. Wang Zhenduo argued that
10126-573: The prefecture spans 26,600 square kilometres (10,300 sq mi). The city lies within the Nanyang Basin , which is part of a region in Central China that lies in the gap between the eastern end of the Qin Mountains and the source of the Huai River . Thus, using those two geographic features as the standard dividing line, it is difficult to classify the city into northern or southern China . To
10248-469: The pressure head of the compensating tank, so that it could control the rate of water flow for different lengths of day and night during the year. Zhang mentioned a "jade dragon's neck", which in later times meant a siphon. He wrote of the floats and indicator-rods of the inflow clepsydra as follows: 以銅為器，再疊差置，實以清水，下各開孔，以玉虯吐漏水入兩壺。右為夜，左為晝。 Bronze vessels are made and placed one above the other at different levels; they are filled with pure water. Each has at
10370-410: The ratio 4:3 was given for the area of a square to the area of its inscribed circle and the volume of a cube and volume of the inscribed sphere should also be 4:3. In formula, with D as diameter and V as volume, D:V = 16:9 or V= 9 16 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {9}{16}}} D; Zhang realized that the value for diameter in this formula was inaccurate, noting the discrepancy as
10492-524: The ratio of the volume of the cube to the inscribed sphere at 8:5, the implied ratio of the area of the square to the circle is √ 8 :√ 5 . From this formula, Zhang calculated pi as the square root of 10 (or approximately 3.162). In the 3rd century, Liu Hui made the calculation more accurate with his π algorithm , which allowed him to obtain the value 3.14159. Later, Zu Chongzhi (429–500) approximated pi as 355 113 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {355}{113}}} or 3.141592,
10614-425: The reign of Emperor Shun (r. 125–144) led to his decision to retire from the central court to serve as an administrator of Hejian Kingdom in present-day Hebei . Zhang returned home to Nanyang for a short time, before being recalled to serve in the capital once more in 138. He died there a year later, in 139. Zhang applied his extensive knowledge of mechanics and gears in several of his inventions. He invented
10736-524: The relegation of the Gengshi Emperor 's (r. 23–25) role in the restoration of the Han dynasty as lesser than Emperor Guangwu's. Liu Zhen and Liu Taotu were Zhang's only historian allies at court, and after their deaths Zhang had no further opportunities for promotion to the prestigious post of court historian. Despite this setback in his official career, Zhang was reappointed as Chief Astronomer in 126 after Emperor Shun of Han (r. 125–144) ascended to
10858-554: The remaining relics mainly include the Wuhou Temple, Weigong Bridge, Fengchu Terrace, as well as the ancient battlefield of Huoshao Bowang in Fangcheng and the council stage in Xinye. There is also a local form of Chinese opera called Wan bang. Rhapsody (music) A rhapsody in music is a one- movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring
10980-406: The restorer of the Han dynasty, Guangwu. In Zhang Heng's poem "Four Sorrows", he laments that he is unable to woo a beautiful woman due to the impediment of mountains, snows and rivers. Scholars Rafe de Crespigny and David R. Knechtges claim that Zhang wrote this as an innuendo hinting at his inability to keep in contact with the emperor, hindered by unworthy rivals and petty men. This poem is one of
11102-429: The result of massive pieces of the Earth falling into the cavernous hollows due to drying; and Aristotle (384–322 BC) believed they were caused by instability of vapor ( pneuma ) caused by the drying of the moist Earth by the Sun's rays. During the Han dynasty, many learned scholars—including Zhang Heng—believed in the " oracles of the winds". These oracles of the occult observed the direction, force, and timing of
11224-414: The same period. By the 3rd century, the Chinese had termed the device the jili guche ( 記里鼓車 , " li -recording drum carriage" (the modern measurement of li = 500 m/1640 ft). Ancient Chinese texts describe the mechanical carriage's functions; after one li was traversed, a mechanically driven wooden figure struck a drum, and after ten li had been covered, another wooden figure struck
11346-485: The six states, promoting the development of Nanyang's economy, especially the iron smelting industry, which became one of the national iron smelting centers .It became commercially important under the Han dynasty , as it had many iron foundries and other manufacturing sites, and also fell at the convergence of routes between major cities. It's an important city of the Silk Road . Emperor Gengshi 's enthronement took place on
11468-399: The sphericity of heavenly bodies. The music theorist and mathematician Jing Fang (78–37 BC) wrote about the spherical shape of the Sun and Moon while discussing eclipses: The Moon and the planets are Yin; they have shape but no light. This they receive only when the Sun illuminates them. The former masters regarded the Sun as round like a crossbow bullet, and they thought the Moon had
11590-528: The spring equinox is 90 and 1/4 (degrees) away from the pole, and the autumn equinox is 92 and 1/4 (degrees) away. The former figure is adopted only because it agrees with the (results obtained by the) method of measuring solstitial sun shadows as embodied in the Xia (dynasty) calendar. Zhang Heng's water-powered armillary sphere had profound effects on Chinese astronomy and mechanical engineering in later generations. His model and its complex use of gears greatly influenced
11712-482: The technology of the Eastern Han era was sophisticated enough to produce such a device, as evidenced by contemporary levers and cranks used in other devices such as crossbow triggers. Later Chinese of subsequent periods were able to reinvent Zhang's seismoscope. They included the 6th-century mathematician and surveyor Xindu Fang of the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577) and the astronomer and mathematician Lin Xiaogong of
11834-400: The throne (formal essays on policy and administration) as well as nominees for official appointments. When the government official Dan Song proposed the Chinese calendar should be reformed in 123 to adopt certain apocryphal teachings , Zhang opposed the idea. He considered the teachings to be of questionable stature and believed they could introduce errors. Others shared Zhang's opinion and
11956-420: The throne. His intensive astronomical work was rewarded only with the rank and salary of 600 bushels, or shi , of grain (mostly commuted to coin cash or bolts of silk ). To place this number in context, in a hierarchy of twenty official ranks, the lowest-paid official earned the rank and salary of 100 bushels and the highest-paid official earned 10,000 bushels during the Han. The 600-bushel rank
12078-571: The title " Filial and Incorrupt " at age forty. The new system also transferred the power of the candidates' assessment to the Three Excellencies rather than the Generals of the Household, who by tradition oversaw the affairs of court gentlemen. Although Zhang's memorial was rejected, his status was significantly elevated soon after to Palace Attendant, a position he used to influence the decisions of Emperor Shun. With this prestigious new position, Zhang earned
12200-520: The tradition of Zhang's book Spiritual Constitution of the Universe . The seismologist John Milne, who created the modern seismograph in 1876 alongside Thomas Gray and James A. Ewing at the Imperial College of Engineering in Tokyo , commented in 1886 on Zhang Heng's contributions to seismology . The historian Joseph Needham emphasized his contributions to pre-modern Chinese technology, stating that Zhang
12322-422: The urban area. Passengers can take flights to and from Beijing , Shanghai , Guangzhou , Shenzhen , and Guilin . There are also two avion airports. Tanghe to Madian waterway is under construction; the project is expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Nanyang Public Transportation Corporation has 1,005 buses (97.8% are clean energy buses), 44 bus lines (859.8 km), and 1,050 stations. As of 2023,
12444-446: The value taken for the ratio. Zhang then attempted to remedy this by amending the formula with an additional 1 16 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {1}{16}}} D, hence V= 9 16 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {9}{16}}} D + 1 16 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {1}{16}}} D = 5 8 {\displaystyle {\tfrac {5}{8}}} D. With
12566-460: The various love affairs of emperors dissatisfied with the imperial harem, going out into the city incognito to seek out prostitutes and sing-song girls. This was seen as a general criticism of the Eastern Han emperors and their imperial favorites, guised in the criticism of earlier Western Han emperors. Besides criticizing the Western Han emperors for lavish decadence, Zhang also pointed out that their behavior and ceremonies did not properly conform with
12688-623: The water-powered instruments of later astronomers such as Yi Xing (683–727), Zhang Sixun (fl. 10th century), Su Song (1020–1101), Guo Shoujing (1231–1316), and many others. Water-powered armillary spheres in the tradition of Zhang Heng's were used in the eras of the Three Kingdoms (220–280) and Jin dynasty (266–420) , yet the design for it was temporarily out of use between 317 and 418, due to invasions of northern Xiongnu nomads. Zhang Heng's old instruments were recovered in 418, when Emperor Wu of Liu Song (r. 420–422) captured
12810-432: The winds, to speculate about the operation of the cosmos and to predict events on Earth. These ideas influenced Zhang Heng's views on the cause of earthquakes. In 132, Zhang Heng presented to the Han court what many historians consider to be his most impressive invention, the first seismoscope. A seismoscope records the motions of Earth's shaking, but unlike a seismometer, it does not retain a time record of those motions. It
12932-448: The world's first water-powered armillary sphere to assist astronomical observation; improved the inflow water clock by adding another tank; and invented the world's first seismoscope , which discerned the cardinal direction of an earthquake 500 km (310 mi) away. He improved previous Chinese calculations for pi . In addition to documenting about 2,500 stars in his extensive star catalog , Zhang also posited theories about
13054-492: Was Zhang who established the rectangular grid system in Chinese cartography. Needham points out that the title of his book Flying Bird Calendar may have been a mistake, and that the book is more accurately entitled Bird's Eye Map . Historian Florian C. Reiter notes that Zhang's narrative "Guitian fu" contains a phrase about applauding the maps and documents of Confucius of the Zhou dynasty, which Reiter suggests places maps ( tu ) on
13176-535: Was a non-magnetic compass vehicle in the form of a two-wheeled chariot. Differential gears driven by the chariot's wheels allowed a wooden figurine (in the shape of a Chinese state minister) to constantly point to the south, hence its name. The Song Shu (c. AD 500 ) records that Zhang Heng re-invented it from a model used in the Zhou dynasty era, but the violent collapse of the Han dynasty unfortunately did not allow it to be preserved. Whether Zhang Heng invented it or not, Ma Jun (200–265) succeeded in creating
13298-420: Was a suspended pendulum, Imamura was the first to propose an inverted model. He argued that transverse shock would have rendered Wang's immobilization mechanism ineffective, as it would not have prevented further motion that could knock other balls out of their position. On June 13, 2005, modern Chinese seismologists announced that they had successfully created a replica of the instrument. Anthony J. Barbieri-Low,
13420-474: Was aware of the new foreign religion of Buddhism , introduced via the Silk Road , as well as the legend of the birth of Buddha with the vision of the white elephant bringing about conception. In his "Western Metropolis Rhapsody" ( 西京賦 ), Zhang described court entertainments such as juedi ( 角抵 ), a form of theatrical wrestling accompanied by music in which participants butted heads with bull horn masks. With his "Responding to Criticism" ( Ying jian 應間 ),
13542-413: Was charged with composing inscriptions and dirges for the governor, he gained experience in writing official documents. As Officer of Merit in the commandery, he was also responsible for local appointments to office and recommendations to the capital of nominees for higher office. He spent much of his time composing rhapsodies on the capital cities. When Bao De was recalled to the capital in 111 to serve as
13664-509: Was essential for the Han government in sending quick aid and relief to regions devastated by this type of natural disaster. The Book of Later Han records that, on one occasion, Zhang's device was triggered, though no observer had felt any seismic disturbance; several days later a messenger arrived from the west and reported that an earthquake had occurred in Longxi (modern Gansu Province ), the same direction that Zhang's device had indicated, and thus
13786-816: Was home to 2,085,680 people. In 2022, Nanyang City has 49 ethnic minority groups with a population of 288000. The distribution of ethnic minorities shows the characteristics of "large dispersion and small mixed residence", among which the Hui ethnic group has 163800 people, distributed in Wancheng District, Dengzhou City, Zhenping County and other places; There are 72600 Mongolian people, distributed in Zhenping County, Neixiang County and other places; There are 28600 Manchu people, distributed in Nanzhao County, Xichuan County and other places. Nanyang higher education already has
13908-446: Was likely not an actual book by Zhang, but a chapter from his Hun I or Hun I Thu Chu , written in 117 AD. His water-powered armillary influenced the design of later Chinese water clocks and led to the discovery of the escapement mechanism by the 8th century. The historian Joseph Needham (1900–1995) states: What were the factors leading to the first escapement clock in China? The chief tradition leading to Yi Xing (AD 725 )
14030-417: Was named "earthquake weathervane" ( hòufēng dìdòngyí 候風地動儀 ), and it was able to roughly determine the direction (out of eight directions) where the earthquake came from. According to the Book of Later Han (compiled by Fan Ye in the 5th century), his bronze urn-shaped device, with a swinging pendulum inside, was able to detect the direction of an earthquake hundreds of miles/kilometers away. This
14152-415: Was not known at the time that earthquakes were caused by the shifting of tectonic plates in the Earth's crust; instead, the people of the ancient Zhou dynasty explained them as disturbances with cosmic yin and yang , along with the heavens' displeasure with acts committed (or the common peoples' grievances ignored) by the current ruling dynasty. These theories were ultimately derived from the ancient text of
14274-456: Was noted even in his day for being able to "make three wheels rotate as if they were one." More than one scholar has described Zhang as a polymath . However, some scholars also point out that Zhang's writing lacks concrete scientific theories. Comparing Zhang with his contemporary, Ptolemy (83–161) of Roman Egypt , Jin Guantao , Fan Hongye, and Liu Qingfeng state: Nanyang, Henan Nanyang
14396-449: Was of course the succession of 'pre-clocks' which had started with Zhang Heng about 125. Reason has been given for believing that these applied power to the slow turning movement of computational armillary spheres and celestial globes by means of a water-wheel using clepsydra drip, which intermittently exerted the force of a lug to act on the teeth of a wheel on a polar-axis shaft. Zhang Heng in his turn had composed this arrangement by uniting
14518-473: Was perhaps the ancestor of all clock jacks that would later sound the hours found in mechanical clocks by the 8th century, but he notes that these figures did not actually move like clock jack figurines or sound the hours. Many additional compensation tanks were added to later clepsydras in the tradition of Zhang Heng. In 610 the Sui dynasty (581–618) engineers Geng Xun and Yuwen Kai crafted an unequal-armed steelyard balance able to make seasonal adjustments in
14640-433: Was the first in China to describe in full the geometric grid reference for maps that allowed for precise measurements using a graduated scale , as well as topographical elevation . However, map-making in China had existed since at least the 4th century BC with the Qin state maps found in Gansu in 1986. Pinpointed accuracy of the winding courses of rivers and familiarity with scaled distance had been known since
14762-399: Was the first to apply the motive power of waterwheels to operate the bellows of a blast furnace to make pig iron , and the cupola furnace to make cast iron . Zhang provided a valuable description of his water-powered armillary sphere in the treatise of 125, stating: The equatorial ring goes around the belly of the armillary sphere 91 and 5/19 (degrees) away from the pole. The circle of
14884-400: Was the lowest the emperor could directly appoint to a central government position; any official of lower status was overseen by central or provincial officials of high rank. In 132, Zhang introduced an intricate seismoscope to the court, which he claimed could detect the precise cardinal direction of a distant earthquake . On one occasion his device indicated that an earthquake had occurred in
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