China has a rich astronomical legacy. Some of the earliest surviving records of astronomical events were collected by Chinese astronomers and are still in existence today.

The ancient star charts mainly fall into two groups: the first were illustrative star charts which served for decorative and religious purposes, and the second were scientific ones which were drawn by ancient astronomic observers in books, painting rolls and stone carvings for educational of recording purposes.

Many of the star charts with a high scientific research value have been lost, and most of those passed down to date exist in the form of stone records:

  Stone Planisphere of the Southern Song Dynasty in Suzhou

Astronomic records on the configuration and movement of stars existed as early as in the Shang Dynasty, as totems related to the sun and moon can be found in inscriptions on tortoise or animal bones of that time. The stone planisphere kept in Suzhou today was first drawn during the reign of Emperor Yuanfeng (1078-85) and then committed to stone in 1247 by Wang Zhiyuan of the Southern Song Dynasty. On the map are 1,434 stars, the ecliptic, the equator, the Milky Way and the twenty-eight constellations. The lower part of the planisphere is occupied by explanations totaling 209 characters, which constitute a concise introduction to the astronomical knowledge man had grasped by that time. This is China's earliest and most complete star map still extant.

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