格致草

The section concerning astronomy in the text was printed shortly after the introduction of Western astronomy to China; volume 1 concerned the principles of movement of stars; volume 2 introduced the orbits of the sun, moon, planets and stars; volume 3 concerned calendars; volumes 4 and 5 analyzed natural changes, natural disasters and strange phenomena based on Western theories; volume 6 concerned universal development and harmony; reviewed by nine colleagues of the author; completed ca. 1615; printed ca. fifty years later, during the Sunzhi Period (1638-1661); the maps were printed in 1638; the depiction of the Western cannon is an indication that the item was published during the Kangxi Period (1662-1722).