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

Abstract

The monumental <italic>Studies to Fathom Principles</italic> (<italic>Qiongli xue</italic> 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 <italic>Della misura dell’acque correnti</italic> (<italic>Of the Mensuration of Running Waters</italic>; 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.