Zhang Heng

The Asian Renaissance Man. He had mastered his skills as an astronomer, mathematician, inventor, geographer, cartographer, artist, poet, statesman, and literary scholar.

The Seismograph


He lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He became the chief astronomer. He is also known for creating the seismograph, hydraulic-powered artillery sphere, pi calculation, shi, universe model, lunar eclipse and solar eclipse theory. His astronomical work is compared to that of Ptolemy. He also documented about 2,500 stars in his star catalogue, he made the first rotating celestial globe.

"The sky is like a hen's egg, and is as round as a crossbow pellet; the Earth is like the yolk of the egg, lying alone at the centre. The sky is large and the Earth small."

This is the 1st stanza of 4 from his poem 4 Stanzas of Sorrow

In Taishan stays my dear sweetheart,
But Liangfu keeps us long apart;
Looking east, I find tears start.
She gives me a sword to my delight;
A jade I give her as requite.
I'm at a loss as she is out of sight;
Why should I trouble myself all night?