Song Yingxing, was born in 1587 in Jiangxi Province. He lived in the latter part of China's feudal society when commodity economy began to flourish, and agriculture, handicraft industry and traffic on land and water developed rapidly.

At the age of 50 he finished his Exploitation of the Works of Nature that contained the cream of traditional Chinese science and technology. It deals, among other things, with agriculture, handicraft industry, technological processes. It includes 122 illustrations.

Song Yingxing's book records notions about number and quantity, specific gravity, variation of materials, conservation of matter and other important research achievements in ancient China. The book praises Nature for its power and ingenuity to create all things in the world. It holds that only with due respect to the work of nature and proper application of work of man, humankind can explore nature and benefit from it.

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