he Calendar, (5) Astronomy, (6) Religion, (7) Water-ways, and (8)
Commerce. On these eight a few remarks may not be out of place, (1)
The Chinese seem to have been in possession, from very early ages, of
a systematic code of ceremonial observances, so that it is no surprise
to find the subject included, and taking an important place, in
Ss[)u]-ma Ch'ien's work. The _Li Chi_, or Book of Rites, which now
forms part of the Confucian Canon, is however a comparatively modern
compilation, dating only from the 1st century B.C. (2) The
extraordinary similarities between the Chinese and Pythagorean systems
of music force the conclusion that one of these must necessarily have
been derived from the other. The Jesuit Fathers jumped to the
conclusion that the Greeks borrowed their art from the Chinese; but it
is now common knowledge that the Chinese scale did not exist in China
until two centuries after its appearance in Greece. The fact is that
the ancient Chinese works on music perished at the Burning of the
Books; and we are told that by the middle of the 2nd century B.C. the
hereditary Court music-master was altogether ignorant of his art. What
we may call modern Chinese music reached China through Bactria, a
Greek kingdom, founded by Diodotus in 256 B.C., with which intercourse
had been established by the Chinese at an early date. (3) The term
Natural Philosophy can only be applied by courtesy to this essay,
which deals with twelve bamboo tubes of varying lengths, by means of
which, coupled with the twenty-eight zodiacal constellations and with
certain calendaric accords, divine communication is established with
the influences of the five elements and the points of the compass
corresponding with the eight winds. (4) In this connexion, it is worth
noting that in 104 B.C. the Chinese first adopted a cycle of nineteen
years, a period which exactly brings together the solar and the lunar
years; and further that this very cycle is said to have been
introduced by Meton, 5th century B.C., and was adopted at Athens about
330 B.C., probably reaching China, via Bactria, some two centuries
afterwards. (5) This chapter deals specially with the sun, moon and
five planets, which are supposed to aid in the divine government of
mankind. (6) Refers to the solemn sacrifices to Heaven and Earth, as
performed by the emperor upon the summit of Mt. T'ai in Shan-tung. (7)
Refers to t