A Study On The Chinese Translated Textbook Huaxue Rumen (A Rudiment Of Chemistry) In The Late Qing

Huaxue Rumen (A Rudiment of Chemistry) is the first Chinese treatise which mainly introduces the western chemistry to China. It holds the important status in the modern Chinese chemistry history. It was the sixth volume of a series teaching books titled A Rudiment of Science which was compiled and translated by American missionary William Alexander Parson Martin (1827—1916)and first published by Tongwen Guan in 1868. From the view of its structure and content, Huaxue Rumen laid the foundation in China for the dissemination, application and popularization of the western modern chemistry knowledge. This thesis will discuss the related issues under the theme of Basic Chemistry, mainly based on the previous studies and related literature. Main points are as follows:1. The situation for introducing the western chemistry into China before Huaxue Rumen is surveyed. The chemical books which was introduced at the time of late Qing Dynasty and the background of introducing the Huaxue Rumen are traced emphatically.2. The writer analyses its content of the book, Huaxue Rumen, from the view of basic chemistry theory, elements and the knowledge of compound and organic chemistry. The book has the following outstanding features: content is flexible; the picture and its accompanying essay are both excellent; theory goes with practice; and the structure system is integrity. The writer tells the same and difference between the two editions, the Mingqing Edition and the revised and enlarged edition.3. The writer gives a comparative analysis on vocabulary terms of the translated chemistry works and the test contents which are at the same periods with Huaxue Rumen. The writer points out that the Book played an important role in the process of the vocabulary term's establishment. Now we are still using parts of the test contents stated in the book.4. The writer gives a preliminary analysis on the impact which Huaxue Rumen has on the Chinese chemistry education and the spread of the chemistry knowledge in China. The book had spread widely for 30 years in late Qing Dynasty. The book by Martin and its contents had been using by teachers in Tongwen Guan and The Great Teaching Hall, and it even reached the far Japan. The book is close to Chinese tradition, based on interpretation of medicine, agriculture and our daily lives. It has a rich contents and practical usage, so it must be useful for chemistry knowledge popularity in public.