A Comparison of the Development of Metrology in China and the West

Dedicated to the 30th Anniversary of the Cooperation in the Field of Metrology between the Physikalisch-Technische Bundesanstalt (PTB) and the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine of the People's Republic of China (AQSIQ) The idea of investigating the development of metrology in China and the West originated from the fact that in China there is a fairly wide-spread awareness of the long tradition of Chinese metrology - not least there is a wealth of literature on the development of metrology in Ancient China -, but it is not much linked to the development in the West. On the other hand in the research on the history of metrology in the West, a eurocentric approach predominates which seldom pays attention to developments in other regions of the world. In this investigation the development of metrology is always presented in the context of the development of the sciences. Furthermore, the relationships between metrology and the economy, especially also the development of money, were considered, because measurement units and monetary units are very closely connected with each other for the exchange of goods and trade. Not least many currency names, like Mark, Pound, Peso etc. were developed from designations of