Modern civilization can be said to be a civilization dominated by science and technology. In modern society, whether in the east or the west, the development of science and technology is an important task. The power of science and technology determines the power of civilization. Modern science originated in the West. Countless works on the history of science describe the historical track of science from ancient Greece to the Arab world, to the Renaissance, to the scientific revolution and to modern science. Therefore, there is a misunderstanding: modern science seems to be the necessity of western culture, which is impossible for other non Western civilizations. There is also a view that there is no scientific "gene" in Chinese civilization; Chinese language, writing and mode of thinking can not produce modern science; Chinese traditional culture is the "retarded child" of science and technology.

However, history is not so simple. An in-depth study of the world's ancient science, technology and civilization shows that the emergence of modern science in Europe is the result of the integration of many civilizations in the world. Ancient civilizations such as ancient Egypt, Babylon, ancient Greece, India, the Arab world and China have made important contributions to the emergence of modern science in the West. In addition to the "four great inventions" recognized by everyone, China's contributions also include many important scientific and technological inventions and discoveries. Joseph Needham, a British scholar, listed dozens of inventions and creations in his magnificent history of Chinese science and Technology (the original name of the book is actually "Chinese science and civilization"). Although it has a "Whig" historical tendency to judge the value of ancient science and technology with the "hindsight" of modern science, it fully shows that ancient China did not lack the wisdom of scientific and technological creation.

Modern science is characterized by mechanism, which showed its limitations at the beginning of last century. As early as the 1920s, the famous British philosopher A. N. Whitehead clearly pointed out that modern western science has experienced the development of more than three centuries and established materialism and determinism with nature as the big machinery. Modern civilization is deeply influenced by this "natural mechanism"; If civilization cannot surpass this thinking, it will "fall into paralysis after extremely limited progress". Based on this understanding, western academia began to reflect on modern science and get inspiration from the ancient oriental thought and culture. The organic and unified view of nature in ancient China is full of thinking such as holism and systematology, which has historical enlightening value for modern scientific thinking. The frontier of modern science, such as life science, environmental science and ecological science, all look for inspiration from Oriental thought.

This paper briefly combs the scientific and technological thought in ancient Chinese civilization, not for the purpose of listing scientific and technological inventions and boasting of "China first", but focuses on revealing the philosophical thought, thinking method and innovation power in ancient Chinese science and technology. Due to space limitations, the following points are briefly introduced:

1、 The philosophy of change and the theory of Yin Yang and five elements. The book of changes and the five elements of yin and yang are often interpreted as "feudal superstitious self", which is a misreading of the lack of historical view. The theory of Yin Yang and five elements developed in China since the spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period is a sign that ancient Chinese civilization stepped out of primitive witchcraft and religious myths and entered the stage of rational thinking. This development is almost the same period as the "natural discovery" of ancient Greece, and it is similar in essence. From then on, ancient China used such "naturalistic" concepts and theories as "Qi", "Yin and Yang" and "five elements", rather than witchcraft or gods to explain the phenomena and changes of nature and even society. For example, the lunar eclipse is no longer a "dog swallowing the moon", but a "dark void" caused by the Qi of yin and Yang; The earthquake is no longer a "turtle wagging its tail", but "the sun is subdued but can't come out, and the Yin is forced but can't steam". The change of yin and Yang causes the change of things, which is the essence of the book of changes, that is, a "philosophy of change". "Yi" means "change". The book of changes uses the change philosophy of yin and yang to construct a series of symbols and concepts, It has become the "repository of ideas and concepts" (Needham language) for understanding nature and human society in ancient China. Aristotle's view of the physical universe in ancient Greece is divided into "upper boundary of the moon" and "lower boundary of the moon", which holds that things in the sky are "invariable, immortal and eternal". Unlike ancient Greece, China has a "philosophy of change" , can be applied not only to the earth, but also to the sky. This made ancient China observe and explore astronomical phenomena in the sky very early, such as sunspots, comets, meteors, guest stars and so on. When the invention of Galileo telescope caused heated debate in the West in the early 17th century, it was not surprising in China, because these changes in the sky were expected by the ancient Chinese "philosophy of change".

2、 The research method of "learning from things". "Learning from things" comes from the University. What exactly does "grid thing" mean? Zhu Xi's speech means "studying the truth of things". How to study the method? In the final analysis, it is to observe and classify things. "Shuowen Jiezi" says, "lattice, each sound from wood", which means that the tree height and long branches are lattice, which is extended to "wooden lattice". "Grid" is simply a wooden grid, like the medicine grid in a traditional Chinese medicine shop, which is used to classify herbs. As a method of studying things, the importance of classification is self-evident. To study things, we must first classify them. Ancient China paid special attention to observing and classifying things. Although it was a preliminary study, it was also fruitful. Ancient China had rich observations and records of astronomy, meteorology, earthquakes and plants, which is of scientific value today. For example, astronomical records are used today to study supernovae, cosmic evolution and solar activity, and herbal materials are used for modern medical research. The ancient method of "learning from things" goes hand in hand with the modern scientific method.

3、 "Poetic" imagination and relevance thinking. Scientific creation is inseparable from rich imagination. In ancient China, the "relevance thinking" of "image analogy" was used to establish the relationship between things and achieve the understanding of things. Here is the key to the formation of "image". The "Xing" in the book of songs is a model for establishing images. For example, from "Guan Guan Ju Jiu, in the river island", we can associate it with "my fair lady, gentleman's good luck". The formation of "image" is a process of "image promotion" through imagination. In ancient China, this kind of associative thinking of image analogy was used to construct the universe schema about heaven, earth, life and man. Describing the changes of rhythm, solar terms and Yin and Yang between heaven and earth, and demonstrating the laws of their changes, all use the method of image analogy, often based on "sound similarity", "shape similarity" or "spirit similarity". These "similarities" are closely related to the general cosmic schema, empirical observation, intuitive imagination, expression and so on. To understand ancient Chinese science, we must seriously study the "image" mode of ancient scientific thinking. This thinking mode of analogy is the ideological source of the invention and creation of ancient Chinese science.

4、 The holism of "unity of heaven and man". "The unity of heaven and man" is another important thought in ancient China. Its key point is that the universe and man are harmonious and a whole. Human beings live in the universe. If the universe and human beings do not form a harmonious unity, it means that the universe is completely chaotic to human beings, human beings cannot survive in it, and the universe is unknowable to human beings. Therefore, the idea of "unity of heaven and man" is correct and necessary in essence. Ancient East and West, from Pythagoras to Liu Xin, from Ptolemy to Kepler to Newton, all thought so. The universe is born of man. Human beings have the mark of the universe. Human music, aesthetics and body rhythm are closely related to the universe. The unity of heaven and man makes people believe that the universe can be recognized by people, which should be regarded as the "first principle" of science. The most famous contemporary scientists, such as Hawking and Weinberg, believe in the harmony of the universe, pursue the "dream of ultimate theory", discuss the "human selection principle" and "great design", which is completely consistent with the ultimate goal of pursuing the unity of heaven and man.

Although the thought of "the unity of heaven and man" was often used by the rulers as the basis for "divine grant of monarchy" in ancient times, as a basic thought, it also guided scientific research. "Studying the occasion between heaven and man" was the highest goal of scientific research in ancient China. In ancient China, the main purpose of astronomy was to "observe and give time", that is, to determine the season through astronomical observation and guide people to engage in production and etiquette activities according to the "season". In the production of astronomical instruments, we pay attention to "coordination with heaven". Since Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty, we have made astronomical instruments driven by water. In the Tang Dynasty, there was the production of water transport image. In the Northern Song Dynasty, the water transport image Observatory made by Su Song and others was an Automatic Observatory integrating observation, demonstration and time reporting functions. The escapement mechanism realized the function of mechanical clock and was known as the earliest astronomical clock in the world. Its fundamental significance is that ancient China used ingenious technology to realize the ideal of "coordination with heaven" of astronomical instruments. It is also worth mentioning that ancient China explored the "unity of heaven and man" and believed that "Qi" was the medium of the induction of heaven and earth. Therefore, as early as the Han Dynasty, the experiment of "waiting for Qi" was designed, which has something in common with the Michelson Morey experiment of modern science measuring "Ether".

5、 The identity of "big universe" and "small universe". Another key point of the thought of "unity of heaven and man" is the correspondence between "big universe" and "non universe". Heaven and earth are the "big universe", the human body is a "small universe", and the country is also a "small universe". The structure, function and operation of large and small universes are similar. For example, the Yellow Emperor's Canon of internal medicine regards the human body as a "small universe", and its structure and function correspond to the "big universe". Physical health is the balance of yin and Yang in the body and the normal operation of the functions of various Zang Fu organs. This set of theories constitutes the theoretical basis of traditional Chinese medicine. The country is also like the body, the country is strong, just like the human body is strong; A poor and corrupt country is like a sick body. We should govern the country like regulating the body, and according to the rhythm of the "universe". This thought has enlightening significance for today's national governance. For example, when we develop our economy, we cannot blindly pursue high-speed growth and ignore the problems of ecological environment. In the past two decades, the state has made great efforts to build infrastructure such as airports, high-speed railways and highways, which is like strengthening the body. However, it has caused many problems in the ecological environment. For example, the national river system has been seriously damaged, and the former Qingqing River in Jiangnan has become a sewage ditch blocked by silt. This is like the body's blood vessels are blocked and the capillary system loses its permeability. Recent floods are the consequence. In fact, the state should really invest financial and material resources to regulate rivers throughout the country. It can not only improve the environment, but also promote the economy, organize farmers, create employment and promote the construction of new countryside. Its effect of strengthening the national body must be multifaceted.

6、 Inclusive cultural diversity. In the past, when we talked about ancient Chinese science and technology, we always tended to pursue the so-called "China first". This view of history is very partial and often untrue. Looking at China's thousands of years of civilization history, Chinese civilization has actually been absorbing, transforming and making use of the knowledge of foreign civilization. The exchange with foreign civilizations is much earlier and richer than we thought at first. Since the Han Dynasty, China has been influenced by Indian civilization, Arab civilization and European civilization. The Chinese civilization has a tolerance of inclusiveness and absorbing the strengths of others, so it has lasted for a long time. Confucianism, for the purpose of practical application, has always attached great importance to science and technology. The exploration of scientific and technological knowledge related to the national economy and the people's livelihood has always been well and continuously supported by the state. This is also the reason why ancient China could make many great achievements in many aspects of science and technology. For example, in the Song Dynasty, the state attached importance to astronomy and medicine, so astronomy and medicine reached a peak in the Song Dynasty. For another example, since the yuan and Ming Dynasties, the astronomical institutions of the Chinese government have always adopted the practice of translation, learning and dissemination of foreign Arab astronomy, so as to maintain a vitality of ancient Chinese astronomy. Today, Western science and technology has been institutionalized in China. We should be more inclusive and take the initiative to learn scientific thought and scientific spirit from the West. Our thinking should not be limited by this doctrine or that doctrine. Instead, we should carry forward the temperament of "tolerance is greatness" of Chinese civilization, and use whatever is conducive to active thinking, creation and the national economy and the people's livelihood for our own use. Of course, there are bureaucratic disadvantages in Chinese Confucian politics. Excessive politicization and bureaucracy hinder scientific innovation. Learning from the experience and lessons of ancient China in this regard is also beneficial to our development of science and technology today.

The above points show that the achievements of ancient Chinese science and technology lie not only in the various inventions and creations that can be listed, but in the scientific and technological wisdom behind them, including scientific thought, scientific thinking, scientific methods, cosmology, values, scientific management, etc. This is the source of strength that led to the continuous invention and creation of ancient Chinese science and technology. What we draw from the traditional science and technology culture should be such wisdom to promote the development of science and technology. Science has experienced the course of Greece Renaissance scientific revolution modern science, which is the interpretation of Western history and does not prove that science is the patent of the West. As modern science enters the deeper and broader fields of the universe and life, it is facing new challenges and opportunities in terms of ideas and methods. The wisdom of ancient Chinese science and technology may enlighten the development of future science.