Updated: 21-12-2023
Source: China Meteorological News Press
Where did the earliest meteorological records appear?
The answer lies inoracle script -- inscriptions on bones and tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty (16th-11th century B.C.), with which ancient Chinese practized divination to predict weath eras early as 3600 years ago.
These records were unprecedentedly and systematically compiled in Chinese Meteorological Records in Three Thousand Years. “A collection just by category as it was, it did arouse great interest among us.” TAO Shiyan, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), once said.
Previously, there being no book as a complete record on climate change or rather evolution in China,historical materials were deemed the most promising source of information for understanding the evolving climate and environment on century to millennium scales.
After finishing The sequel of "yearly charts of dryness/wetness in China for the last 500–year period, which was praised by the renowned American climatologist Professor Landsberg as a milestone work, ZHANG ventured to systematically and comprehensively compile a set of detailed and credible data on China's historical climate records in the past 1,000 or even 3,000 years as a solid foundation for historical climate research.
Since 1985, she had led a collaborative team to work on this complex, challenging, but valuable task. Over the course of 20 years, the team looked over 8432 Chinese historical books from 75 libraries and archives in 37 cities across the country, 7930 out of which were actually cited by extracting the written records related to meteorology into over 100,000 cards. By comprehensively utilizing antiquarian book proofreading, calendaring, historical geography and atmospheric science, over 200,000 collected historical records were collated.
In December 2004, Chinese Meteorological Records in Three Thousand Years was published as a monograph totaling 8.8 million words and weighing 9.5 kilograms. In 2013, a revised and enlarged edition came out, with 200,000 more words added, asa master piece of 9 million words.
This set of books in four volumes compiles various written records related to meteorology in China during the 3000-year period from the13th century B.C. to 1911 A.D., which described specific aspects including the time, location and scenario of synoptic and climatic phenomena such as flood, drought, rain and snow; the incidence, gravity and post-event relief of various meteorological disasters, as well as the phenology, agricultural abundance and failure, pests and diseases and epidemics, famines and singularities related to meteorological conditions.
“This amazing achievement provides important basic data for climate change research around the world. If climate records could be considered as a world heritage, I would be the first to recommend this set of books.”exclaimed Yoshino Masatoshi, Honorary President, Japan Geological Union.
LIU Dongsheng, an academician of CAS, called this set of books a treasure.
“For research in the natural sciences, the collection of basic data is very important. It is very valuable to do this work in a down-to-earth manner. Like my predecessors, my work will benefit others and future generations.” said ZHANG. This impressive work has recently won her the 2022 Fengyun Achievement Award of China Meteorological Service Association Science and Technology Award.
Editor: WANG Xiaofan,JIANG Zhiqing