Su Song

Introduction

Su Song  was a great Chinese polymath.  He was an inventor, scientist, mathematician, doctor, zoologist, poet, botanist, etc.  He invented a mechanical clock and was an ambassador for the Song dynasty.  The clock was 40 feet tall!  He wrote  books about medicine, stars, and geography.  He had a big impact on future generations.

History

He was born in 1020 in Fujian.  He became a civil servant at an early age.  He passed the state exam with flying colors.  Civil servants were leaders of towns and cities.  They were they were the mouthpiece of the emperor.  He would write poems about painting wasn't busy.  He also collected ancient art.  He became the President of Ministry of Personnel (made sure officials did their duties).  After that, he became a Minster of Justice.  Which is something like a judge.  Then he became a policy maker.  

He went to a kingdom in the north (Liao Dynasty) to check out their calendar.  To his surprise, it was more accurate than the calendar of the Song Dynasty.  He told the emperor.  The emperor was furious, so he punished the people working at the Bureau of Astronomy and Calendar.  Su Song was commissioned by the emperor to write about the Liao Dynasty.  He ended up writing 200 books.  It helped settle a border dispute between the Song Dynasty and the Liao Dynasty.

Genius

Su Song created 5 celestial maps.  They had lunar mansions in them.  He copied information from Shen Kuo star map.  It had something to do with the true north and/or the pole star.  

 Su Song and other learned men updated Bencao Tujing.  It was a book about minerals, plants, and animals.  He wrote about the medical uses of mica.  It is a mineral that helps digestion.  He added a lot of information about other minerals as well.  He describes the regions where different animals can be found as well.  This book may have been added to Bencao Gangmu during the Ming Dynasty.    

He wrote a book about measuring time.  Then he made a giant clock.  It had many moving parts: bells, gongs, mannequins, chain/s, etc.  The clock was destroyed by warriors from another kingdom.  They tried to recreate it in Beijing, but they weren't bright enough.  Su Song son tried to make another one, but he said his father left out info in the blueprints so no one else could make it.    

Conclusion

Su Song is a great role model for children.  Children can become polymaths by studying him.  I think he's awesome.  There is much we can all learn from him.  

References

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_Song   

http://www.edubilla.com/inventor/su-song/

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Su-Song
http://www.bookrags.com/history/imperial-china-science-technology-health/sub16.html#gsc.tab=0

http://www.mapsofworld.com/cartography/ancient/su-song.html