Scholars are praising a new book which gives the Chinese perspective on Taoist technologies, calling it a step forward in opening up perspectives other than those of the western academic communities relied upon in the past.
"The History of Taoist Technologies," the first such specialized publication on the subject in the country, was the hot topic at the second annual session on China's Taoist technological history, which opened on Monday in the capital of the eastern coastal province of Shandong
The book, to be published in three or four volumes, elaborates on the Taoists' technological developments from the perspective of Chinese culture. This is a sharp contrast to the false notion that anything not in accordance with modern western conceptions cannot be counted as scientific, according to Jiang Sheng, director of the Institute of Religion, Science and Social Issues under Shandong University.
The first 1.4 million-character volume of the book was published in April.
(People's Daily September 10, 2002)
