With the Measuring Rod against the Floods: Ferdinand Verbiest and His Forgotten Introduction of Benedetto Castelli’s River Hydraulics to China

Abstract

The monumental Studies to Fathom Principles (Qiongli xue 窮理學; 1683) by Ferdinand Verbiest S. J. (Nan Huairen 南懷仁, 1623–1688) was never printed, and its exact content is not known. A section of the only extant, though incomplete, manuscript deals with fluvial flood prevention and river control measures, a subject that until then had not cropped up in any Chinese-language work of the Jesuits. In this section, Verbiest not only described the already well-known Aristotelian theory of the origin of rivers, but also introduced to China new scientific propositions, concepts, and numerical examples originating from the seminal Renaissance work Della misura dell’acque correnti (Of the Mensuration of Running Waters; 1628) by Benedetto Castelli (1578–1643). In addition, Verbiest presented to his readers some noteworthy examples of pertinent Western achievements such as the pound-lock with miter gate, and he provided them with a simple economic analysis of flood control options. The significance and possible influence of Verbiest’s text on further developments in Chinese approaches to water engineering are discussed, highlighting a hitherto largely disregarded facet of Western science and technology transfer in the field of river hydraulics and flood management.