Zhusuan
01 · Historical Records
Bead calculation (zhusuan) is a method of performing numerical calculations with an abacus; the term "zhusuan" first appears in the Han-dynasty work Shushu Jiyi (Notes on Mathematical Arts) by Xu Yue. In the Ming dynasty, with a highly prosperous economy and the demands of commercial development, bead calculation was widely promoted and gradually replaced the previously common method of rod calculation. After the Ming dynasty, Chinese bead calculation spread successively to Japan, Korea, and the countries of Southeast Asia, and in recent years it has gradually become popular in the Americas as well. Bead calculation began in the Han dynasty, matured in the Song, reached its height of prosperity in the Yuan and Ming, and has circulated widely throughout the country since the Qing dynasty. No later than the Song dynasty, bead calculation gradually superseded other calculation techniques and implements, becoming a calculating tool unique to China. By the Ming dynasty, the abacus held a dominant place in the field of calculation; its methods of use became increasingly refined, promoting the development of China's society, economy, science, and technology. Bead calculation culture is deeply rooted in China, and in the 16th century it also spread to neighboring countries and regions, where it contributed to the development of their economies, cultures, science, and technology.
02 · Core Techniques & Process
Against this background, the Systematic Treatise on Arithmetic (Zhi Zhi Suanfa Tongzong) compiled by the Ming scholar Cheng Dawei played an extremely important role in the popularization and development of bead calculation. After the arrival of the information age, bead calculation began to decline, as its calculating function has been taken over by electronic computers. Bead calculation is a major invention of the Chinese nation and occupies an important place in the history of human science and technology. Bead calculation culture encompasses mathematical science, mathematics education, applied technology, and intelligence development related to bead calculation, and it also plays a role in related cultural fields such as literature, history, music, and fine arts. Bead calculation has a wide range of applications and is strongly scientific and practical; this characteristic has promoted its spread and popularization, allowing it to be passed down from generation to generation in China to the present day. Bead calculation is a major invention of China's ancestors; its contribution to the development of the Chinese nation is second to none of the Four Great Inventions.
Routes of transmission in the sixteenth century
Abacus reckoning spread to Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia and Europe, each place adapting it to its own bookkeeping.
The moment the abacus replaced counting rods
From the Song the abacus displaced other calculating tools and methods, becoming the standard by the Ming.
Three steps to fast reckoning
Learners first fix place values and finger technique, then addition with carrying, then multiplication and division.
A counting tool for children
Today the abacus mainly opens children's arithmetic, building number sense before pen-and-paper work.
03 · Regional Records & Related Items
Bead calculation culture has spread most widely along this path, with different regions developing different emphases according to local needs: where commercial firms were concentrated, practical calculation and mental arithmetic were stressed; the lineage of teaching houses and private schools emphasized rapid calculation and training on the rod positions; and in overseas Chinese settlements, bead calculation and mental arithmetic were used together as the introductory method of arithmetic for children. In terms of coverage, this calculation method has lineages of transmission in every inland province; however, after commercial calculation was handed over to machines in recent decades, bead calculation classes in various places have been sustained mainly by schools, children's palaces, and civic associations, and among the adult business world very few people still move beads on the abacus every day.
Other submitting regions for the same item: Zhusuan.
04 · Cultural Value & Contemporary Safeguarding
As a form of traditional folk knowledge and a distinctive practice, bead calculation still has historical and cultural value and urgently needs vigorous rescue and protection. At present, with the popularization of electronic computers, bead calculation has lost its original function, has become increasingly marginalized in modern society, and is on the verge of extinction; all relevant parties urgently need to take effective measures for its rescue and protection.
05 · Associated Representative Bearers
Representative bearers recorded under this item, organized by national nomination batch:
- Wang Suqiu 04-1985
- Liu Qinying
- Wang Weida
06 · Authoritative Sources & Bibliography
Sources
China Intangible Cultural Heritage Network (ihchina.cn)
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