The Shorter Science and Civilisation in China

This fifth volume of Colin Ronan's abridgement of Joseph Needham's monumental work is concerned with the staggering civil engineering feats made in early and medieval China. No other country did more, both as to scale and skill, than China. The book opens with an account of the road system, which compared not unfavourably with that of the Roman Empire. Naturally, the Great Wall of China is covered in some detail within the social context of walls, which mark, more than any other structure, the basic features of the Chinese communities. The Chinese genius of town planning and achievements in hydraulic engineering are covered in later chapters. This book concludes with an abridgement of Chinese engineering, and provides many clues as to the influence of Chinese innovation on Western engineering trends.