Overview
Key data
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Completed | 1722 (sixty-first year of Kangxi, Qing) |
| Compilation | By imperial order, compiled by Mei Juecheng and others |
| Volumes | Forty-two |
| System | Rests on Tycho’s cosmic system |
Why it was compiled
The early Qing used the Shixian calendar, resting on the Xiyang Xinfa Lishu.
Toward the end of Kangxi’s reign, to unify the methods, the Lixiang Kaocheng was compiled by imperial order,
gathering the theory of the calendar and its computation into one work.
Contents and system
The work is divided into sections on the observation of the heavens, on fixing the seasons, on eclipses, and on the five planets,
setting out the principles of the calendar and the order of computation.
Its cosmic system is Tycho’s: the five planets circle the sun, while the sun and moon circle the earth.
The officially compiled calendrical works of the Qing begin with the Lixiang Kaocheng and continue with its later instalment; the two follow one another but differ in method: the first still uses Tycho’s system, the second the ellipse. ⚠ The two are separate works and must not be run together under one name.
Value
The Lixiang Kaocheng is the first officially compiled compendium of the Qing calendar;
for the computation of the Shixian calendar it is the direct basis.
Its differences from the later instalment mark the continued development of Western astronomy under the Qing.
Compiled and arranged by Chujia Kuang.