The research on Chinese paktong and its transmission to Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries

Chinese Paktong is the earliest and most widely-used cupro-nickel alloy in the world. It is also an important creative invention in the history of science and technology of ancient China. According to the ancient Chinese 'Gazetteer of Huayang County', the invention of Paktong in China can be traced back to the late Eastern Jin Dynasty. Large-scale production of Paktong was carried out in the Ming and Qing Dynasties, becoming one of the most widely used metal materials during these periods. It began to permeate into Europe during the 17th century and was regarded as a valuable treasure in many countries, trying to imitate or create a European version of Paktong in order to promote the applications of cupro-nickel alloy in Europe, generally having a significant impact on the rise of the nickel metal industry in Europe. In this book, the author will combine archival, textual materials, field research findings and scientific experiments to shed new light on the history of Chinese Paktong and its transmission to Europe during the 18th and 19th centuries. In order to address and endorse Paktong research from the perspective of a Chinese scholar to a potentially international audience of academics, the author not only reviews previous researchers' works but also shares personal experiences, new discoveries and results that Western scholars have made about in more recent research into Paktong. This is undertaken as an official project of the Chinese State Administration for Cultural Heritage. In this way, new light will be shed on all areas of Paktong, in particular to Western readers and scholars, in a concerted effort to reach beyond Chinese language readers alone.