中国古代大地测量

Ancient Geodesy in China

古代测量是中国古代文明的重要组成部分，它是适应农耕与征战的需要最早发展起来的实用技术之一。中国大地测量源于距今近5000年的原始社会末期的三皇五帝时代。几千年来，中国大地测量经历了从步量、丈量到立杆测影、仪器观测的发展过程。距今2000年的西汉时期，发明了浑天仪，开始了使用仪器测量地面点地理坐标的新阶段。公元724年，僧人一行与南宫说在黄河中游的平坦地区进行了世界上最早的子午线测量。16世纪后期，意大利人利玛窦带来了西方的测量技术，从此开始了中国传统大地测量与西方测量方法并行、融合的进程。明末清初，利用天文测地的方法在全国范围内测定了几十个经纬度点，为地图绘制提供了控制基础。天圆地方是中国古代最典型宇宙观，是中国古代测量与制图中未能考虑地球曲率的认识根源。简言之，中国古代大地测量成就辉煌，特色明显，与西方古代测量并驾齐驱。

The geodesy, a crucial component of China＇s ancient civilization, can be traced back to 5,000 years ago. The primitive technique was first used in agricultrual and militrary fields. For thousands of years, geodesy in China has been developing from surveying by step to measuring by pole or equipments. The invention and use of the armillary sphere in the Western Han Dynasty, ushered in a new era of obtaining coordinates by equipments in China. In A. D. 724, Zeng Yixing and Nan Gongshbuo on the plain of the middle valley of Yellow River observed the meridian line for the first time in history. In the late 16th Century, when the western technology of surveying was introduced into China by the Italian, Mattea Ricci, the Chinese traditional surveying enriched itself by learning from the western counterpart. In the late Ming Dynasty and the beginning of Qing Dynasty, the latitude and longitude of tens of points were measured by Astro- geodetic method, which laid the essential foundation for drawing maps. In ancient China people believes that the sky is round and the land fiat, thus the earth curvature was not taken into consideration in surveying and mapping, In a word, the resplendent achievements and distinctive characteristics of ancient geodesy in China kept pace with that in the west.