The
shift of power from the Zhou kings to the many feudal lords
was reflected in the the change of worldview that became
more and more focused on man and his needs. Schools of
thought like the Mohists investigated physical objects and
their metaphysical background. Theoreticians like Zou Yan
tried to integrate man and his environment (tastes, colors,
diseases) into a cosmic structure that was reigned by the
Five Phases (Wuxing
五行) and the principle of Yin-Yang
陰陽.
Artisanry:
- perfection of bronze casting, development of lost wax
technology (shilafa 失蠟法)
- gold and silver inlays in metal and wooden/lacquered
objects
- begin of iron casting technology and widespread use of
iron tools during Warring States Period
- development of warfare technology like iron weapons,
armament, chariots and fortifications
- engineering technology for irrigation, drainage,
waterways, canals, dikes, dams
- development of music temperation by pipes and bells
- dyeing of yarns and woven materials like silk and linen
- glass production
- multi-color lacquering of wooden or bamboo objects
Astonomy,
Astrology, Geography, Physics:
- perfection of the calendar
- regular observation of the starry sky and recording of
irregular astronomical events
- maps of the starry sky; first geographical maps
- division of China into the Nine Provinces (Jiuzhou
九州, see the Tribute of Yu Yugong
禹貢)
- discovering of magnetism
Mathematics:
- description of basic arithmetics (size yunsuan
四則運算) and fractions (fenshu
分數)
- calculating with chips or tallies (chousuan
籌算)
- geometry (jihexue 幾何學) and
trigonometry (gougu celiang
勾股測量)
Agriculture:
- amelioration of ploughing methods
- use of fertilizers and pesticides
Medicine:
- descriptions of healing methods like acupuncture (zhen
針) and moxibustion (jiu 灸)
Name
a few of the contributions of the Zhou dynast
period.
