Background
西 周 Western Zhou 1066 - 771 BCE
This website is a work in progress focusing on mankind's history and progress. The stone shadow measuring platform at the left was constructed in 723 CE replacing a wooden shadow measuring platform constructed by the Duke of Zhou also known as Zhou Gong(Zhou Regent between 1042 BCE and 1036 BCE) at the site of the Gaocheng Observatory situated in what is now the village of Gaocheng near the city of Dengfeng, Henan Province, PR China. The record of the Western-Zhou shadow measuring platform is found in 周髀算經
zhou bi suan jing The Arithmetical Classic of the Gnomon and the Circular Path of Heaven written approximately100 BC
.
Click
here for an introduction in Chinese to the Gaocheng Observatory entitled China Ancient Star Watching Platform in PDF format. Click
here for an introduction in English.
xinhuanet.com has an excellent Chinese language movie introduction to the Gaocheng Observatory (24 February 2009).
To view Farrington (
方英瑞和方若福) photographs of Gaocheng Observatory in 2004 click here
The above astronomical observatory at Gaocheng, Dengfeng, Henan, China has been in nearly constant operation since the 西 周 Western Zhou (1066 - 771 BCE) dynasty and has observed the sky during the arrival of such luminaries as Zoroaster (605 BCE), Budda (560 BCE), and Laozi ( 550 BCE) that were contempories with the early use of the Gaocheng observatory. On our Detailed History webpage we will present a quick overview of mankinds history with historical personages that brought mankind spiritual progress subsequent to the founding of the Gaocheng Observatory. On the Detailed History webpage you will also find a listing of mankind's technological development.
Ralph W. Farrington 方若福
RWF Consulting LLC
方若福有限责任公司