Spiritual Sinology featuring Manuel Dias

A recent publication by the Jesuit Michele Ferrero, entitled Sinologia spirituale. Lettere (Immaginarie) dal medioveo ai tempi nostri di 50 missionari che amarono la Cina, Chapter 5 "Cambio di dinastia" contains a fictive letter by Manuel Dias, in which he provides his interpretation of China. This could be good material for the introduction. For details, see:

http://las.unisal.it/index.php?method=ecom&action=zoom&id=930

Images of TWL - Wooden Block vs. Movable Type

The Images of the TWL version included in the Imperial Encyclopaedia are definitely different from the ones in other editions, especially the First Collectanea of Heavenly Studies. They also carry legends! I think this is related to the fact that the Imperial Encyclopaedia was printed with movable type (one of the very few works in traditional China to use that technology).

Does the Qiankun tiyi have any images at all? We should check that.

Qiankun tiyi and its relation with TWL

The Qiankun tiyi was the first work introducing Western astronomy to China. It was compiled by Ricci and Li Zhizao and much more ambitious in scope than the TWL. Its main model seems to have been Sacrobosco's Sphaera. How did this work fail? And is its failure related to the composition of the TWL?

In the introduction we have to provide one extensive section on this book.

Disposition of Space in Scientific Texts China vs. Europe

Compared to traditional Chinese texts, the TWL has a lot of headers (some of which are not questions per se). This could be influenced by the European tradition. In order to establish that, we need to look carefully at both traditions and go from there.

Related to that is also the question of interpunctuation - some editions are, some editions are not interpunctuated. Why? Who did the interpunctuation? Marie-Theres discovered btw already one interpunctuation mistake.