Individual itineraries and the circulation of scientific and technical knowledge in East Asia (16th–20th centuries)

Wang Xichan was an associate of Li Zijin

Birth in Wujiang 吳江 in Jiangsu 江蘇

Membership of Wang Xichan 王錫闡 in the group of Ming loyalists

Text used by Wang Xichan to learn about astronomy

Composition of Tian tong yi sheng zhuan, an autobiographical work, expressing Ming loyalism

Decision to give up attempt to serve the Qing government because he was loyal to the Ming, in 1649

Composition of Li shuo 歷說 in 6 juan

Composition of Li ce 歷策 in 1 pian

Composition of Da tong xi li qi meng 大統西曆啟蒙. This work is also called Da tong li xi li qi meng 大統曆西曆啟蒙

Composition of Yuan jie 圜解 . It concerns trigonometry.

Composition of San chen gui zhi 三辰晷志 . This work is not extant. It concerns an instrument Wang Xichan invented for observing the sun, moon and stars

Mention of Guo Shoujing 郭守敬 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Yuan Tong 元統 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Matteo Ricci's coming to China (in the Wanli period) in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Xu Guangqi 徐光啓 as the translator of Matteo Ricci's books (at the beginning of the Chongzhen period) in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Li Defang 李德芳 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Zheng Shanfu 鄭善夫 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Xing Yunlu 邢雲路 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Wei Wenkui 魏文魁 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Chen Rang 陳壤 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Eclipse of Kaiyuan jiazi (Tang dynasty, Kaiyuan period (31 January 724 - 17 February 725); it was predicted bud did not happen. Caused rethinking of calendar.

Mention of Liu Hong 劉洪 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Reference to Emperor Yan (Yandi 炎帝) as inventor of the calendar (in the expression Yandi bajie 炎帝八節) in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Jiang Ji 姜岌 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Li zhi 曆指 of Xu Guangqi 徐光啓 in the Preface to Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 by Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Composition of Ri yue zuo you xuan wen da 日月左右旋問答

Mention of Xu Guangqi 徐光啓 (called Xu Wending 徐文定) in connection with the controversy of the solar eclipse at the beginning of the 5th month in Chongzhen 2 (21st of June 1629).

Mention of Liu Hong 劉洪 and his work Qian xiang li 乾象曆 in the biography of Wang Xichan 王錫闡

Mention of Han Yi 韓翊 in connection with Liu Hong's 劉洪 Qian xiang li 乾象曆.

Composition of Ce ri xiao ji 測日小記

Quotation by Wang Xichan in his Tui bu jiao shuo 推步交朔 of Lü li zhi 律曆志 (Treatise on the Calendar) in the Han shu.

Use of seal script and sexagenary stems and branches to designate years as a form of protest (not using Qing reign names to designate time).

Tycho Brahe's cosmology was adopted by Wang Xichan. His theory replaced Ptolemy's cosmology by the 1630s and was popular until the 1680s.

Meeting of Wang Xichan with Gu Yanwu (in connection with Ming loyalism, and work with Pan Chengzhang on Ming shi ji

Membership of Wang Xichan in group of authors of the Ming shi ji. He was responsible for compiling the tables and writing the treatise on astronomy. The work was published in 1660

Pan Chengzhang (1626-1663) was good friends with Wang Xichan and enlisted him to contribute to his history of the Ming. Wang compiled the tables and the treatise on astronomy

Mention of his study of eclipse of 1658 (wuxu zhong xia shuo shi 戊戌仲夏朔食)

Mention of his study of eclipse of 1659 (jihai xiang chun wang shi 己亥香春望食)

Mention of his study of eclipse of 1661 (xinchou la yue hui chen 辛丑臘月晦辰)

Friendship of Wang Xichan with Lü Liuliang

Friendship of Wang Xichan with Zhang Lüxiang

Composition of Xiao an xin fa 曉庵新法 in 6 juan; The work by this title was included in Siku quanshu, but it is a later edition of Li fa 歷法; it does not contain the tables originally contained in Li fa. The tables are later called Li biao 曆表. It is a complet

Mention of his study of eclipse of 1663 (guimao qi yue wang shi 癸卯七月望食)

Composition of Li fa 歷法 in 6 juan, plus 24 tables, constituting Wang's system of calculation. It was included in the Siku quanshu, under the title Xiao an xin fa, but without the tables. The tables were later called Li biao 曆表.

Composition of Dingwei li gao 丁未曆稿 , with collaboration of Pan Lei 潘耒 . On the calendar for 1667 calculated by Wang and Pan.

Collaboration of Pan Lei with Wang Xichan on Dingwei li gao 丁未曆稿

Poem written by Gu Yanwu calling Wang Xichan a "high-minded scholar" (gao shi 高士), meaning that he was uncontaminated by the desire for power and wealth.

Composition of Wu xing xing du jie 五星行度解, on the motions of the five planets; geometric explication, used Tycho Brahe; used qi 氣 (pneumatic)

Letter from Wang Xichan to Pan Lei asking him to purchase Jesuit works on the calendar, including Wu wei biao 五緯表 by Giacomo Rho, which was included in Xi yang xin fa li shu.

Letter from Wang Xichan to Pan Lei asking him to purchase Jesuit works on the calendar, including Nan shi xin hai qi zheng 南氏辛亥七政 by Ferdinand Verbiest.

Recommendation written by Wang Xichan to Gu Yanwu 顾炎武 for Lü Liuliang

Recommendation written by Wang Xichan to Gu Yanwu 顾炎武 for Lü Liuliang 呂留良

Criticism by Wang Xichan of Pan Lei for taking examinations in 1679, thus seeking to serve the Qing.

Expectation by Wang Xichan that Gu Yanwu 顾炎武 would visit him

Poem written by Gu Yanwu calling Wang Xichan a "high-minded scholar" (gao shi 高士), meaning that he was uncontaminated by the desire for power and wealth; Gu also complimented Wang in a letter.

Composition of Tui bu jiao shuo ce xiao ji 推步交朔測小記

Mention of Xu Fa 徐發 as associate of Wang Xichan in connection with the solar eclipse in the 8th month of the xinyou year (1681) 王錫闡

Death in 1682