A Study On The Chinese Translation Of Yufeng Yaoshu Published In The Late Qing Dynasty

Yufeng Yaoshu is a translation which introduced systematic study of hurricane in modern Chinese history.It is the pioneer translation in the history of meteorology and navigation in modern China,and was also considered as one of the compulsory books of the Navy and shipbuilding industries.Yufeng Yaoshu was translated from The Hand Book of the Law of Storms by an English meteorologist and astronomer,William Radcliff Birt(1804-1881).The Hand Book of the Law of Storms was published in 1853.In the original book,the writer used clear and concise language to elaborate the complex theory of the analysis of the nature of hurricane and the methods of navigation which take shelter from the hurricane.The publication of The Hand Book of the Law of Storms received a warm welcome by the masses,especially the sailors.It also spread the most advanced meteorology and navigation achievementsTwo translators from the translation department of the Kiangnan Arsenal,Carl Traugott Kreyer(1839-1914)and Hua Heng Fang(1833-1902),translated The Hand Book of the Law of Storms into its Chinese version Yufeng Yaoshu in collaboration.The book Yufeng Yaoshu was published the first time in 1873 by the translation department of the Kiangnan Arsenal,and created a new chapter in Chinese meteorology and navigation.So far,there are not any domestic or foreign scholars who have carried out a research on Yufeng Yaoshu.In view of its value and importance,this paper takes the book Yufeng Yaoshu as the research object,and analyzes the related issues of this book.This paper combs the background of Yufeng Yaoshu,including the political,military,economic status,especially the development of meteorology and navigation at that time.This paper also introduces the life and achievements of the author and translators,research on the publication,versions and the influences of the original book and Yufeng Yaoshu itself.The research of this article starts with the content and structure of Yufeng Yaoshu,then analysis the settings of its chapters.This paper also analyzed the terminology of meteorology and navigation and the geographic name which appear in this book,and compared them with the ancient and modern terms in which scientific theories are analyzed and compared.On the basis of the full and careful analysis of the content of Yufeng Yaoshu,this paper classifies the forecasting methods of hurricane and summarizes and analysis the hurricane avoidance navigation method.This paper analysis and compares the prediction methods of the hurricane,the method of analyzing the moving direction of the hurricane and its wind size,the methods of analyzing the position of the vessel in a hurricane,berthing and anchoring avoidance methods of the vessel in a hurricane,the hurricane path and the sail methods of avoiding hurricane in South China Sea and the hurricane path and the sail methods of avoiding hurricane in other sea areas of the world.The end of this paper researchs on the spread and the influence of Yufeng Yaoshu in Late Qing Dynasty.The paper excavates the boundaries of the hurricane path which defined in Yufeng Yaoshu,analysis its impact on meteorology,navigation and the promote role of the navy and shipbuilding,as well as the late Qing technology and society.