The Art of Mindful Walking by Adam Ford

Author:Adam Ford
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The Ivy Press
Published: 2011-03-15T00:00:00+00:00

An Astronomical Treasure

A particular goal I had in mind was the ancient astronomical observatory in Beijing. All my adult life I have lectured in astronomy to groups like the Workers’ Educational Association, or classes at St Paul’s Girls’ School. To be able to visit this old observatory had the nature for me of a small pilgrimage. The site was quite a long way from my hotel but in true pilgrim style I decided to slog my way through the city on foot. Traffic pollution was a problem (it may be better now since the clean-up for the Olympics) so my walk was exhausting and a bit like walking round the London North Circular road in rush hour. People still cycled then, despite the congestion of noxious cars, waves of workers peddling furiously.

The goal made it all worth it. The Chinese are famous for their early astronomical work and here was an observatory founded in the 15th century in the Ming dynasty. The eight bronze instruments, each taller than a man, date from the Qing dynasty in the 17th century. They stand on a squat tower in the open beneath the grey, polluted Beijing sky, beautifully calibrated with a patina of tarnish – a mix of oriental craftsmanship and western science. Bronze dragons support the meticulous measuring instruments inspired by Jesuit teaching. It was inspiring to see the evidence of two different cultures working together in a common quest to understand our complex universe.

I got chased out of the observatory for staying beyond the 40 minutes allocated, despite being the only person there!

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