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Where can I find English Translations of Chinese, Korean, or Japanese Star Charts?

April 26, 2017charts Chinese English Japanese Korean star translations

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Where can I find English Translations of Chinese, Korean, or Japanese Star Charts?

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Perhaps one of the best sources in English on ancient Chinese astro-cartography is Sun, X. and J. Kistemaker (1997) The Chinese Sky During the Han; Constellating Stars and Society, New York and Netherlands, Brill. History, analysis, and charts are included in this volume. Another source is Staal, J.D.W. (1984) Stars of Jade: Calendar Lore, Mythology, Legends and Star Stories of Ancient China. Writ Press, Decatur, Georgia. However, caution should be used with this book as it is an English translation of Schlegel’s German translation of an early Chinese coordinate system. Further, in our opinion, Staal spends so much time with an agenda of proving the antiquity of Chinese Astronomy that he may miss essential aspects and meanings of Chinese characters. Other supplementary sources in English for understanding Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Astronomical Charting are the books listed above by Needham and Nakayama.