尊敬的各位贵宾，现在我们要参观的景点就是著名天文学家落下闳的故居。在这里，我们将进一步了解落下闳的生平，同时，也会更加清楚地认识到阆中做为古天文研究中心的盛况。

     穿过四合院，走入正厅，首先映入眼帘的是落下闳的坐像。这一坐像是阆中籍著名雕塑家伍明万教授亲自完成。坐像上方悬挂一方匾额，上面是宋代大书法家米芾的集字“炳曜千秋”，盛赞落下闳的功业。现在，就让我们来认识一下落下闳。

     落下闳，复姓落下，名闳，字长公，西汉时巴郡阆中人，也就是今天的阆中市。少时，落下闳在乡间，醉心于天象观察，后在家乡小有名气，经同乡、太常令谯隆和太史令司马迁推荐，被汉武帝征召入京，与当时的官家天文学家唐都、邓平一起研制历法。此历被汉武帝采用，于“太初元年”颁行，故称其为“太初历”。这是我国历史上第一部有完整文字记载的历法，在历史上有着极其重要的地位。而落下闳在天文学、数学、农学上的一系列开创性的贡献，也已经被学术界公认，英国科技史学家李约瑟称他为“中国天文史上最灿烂的星座。”

     2004年9月16日，经国家天文学联合会小天体提名委员会批准，中国科学院国家天文台已将其发现的国际永久编号为16757的小行星命名为“落下闳星”。从此，落下闳真正成为一颗璀璨星座永恒的闪耀在星空中。

    落下闳的贡献到底在哪些方面呢？现在我们就走入第一个展馆：

    英国科技史学家李约瑟在《中国科技史》一书中把落下闳所处的时代的东西方天文成就作了一个比较，共列成了十大成就，其中落下闳的成就有三个。

    第一，就是他编制的历法《太初历》。在这里我们首先来认识一下《太初历》。当年因为落下闳和邓平研制的历法“晦朔弦望皆最密，日月如合壁，五星如连珠”，大大优于其他17家，遂被汉武帝采用，于太初元年颁行，称新历为“太初历”。为了表彰落下闳的功绩，汉武帝特授他以侍中之职，落下闳却坚辞不受，而邓平则被任命为太史丞。

     从中可以看出“太初历”较之六种古历有巨大的进步。中国历代所订历法有近百种，图版中罗列了主要的几种，可以说它们全都是以落下闳所创“太初历”为根据和样板进行改进的成果。

     第二个成就，就是提出了“浑天学说”。

     落下闳创制浑仪（包括浑天仪和浑天象），形象地展示了宇宙模型。他通过长期观测和科学运算，用事实论证了浑天说理论和天体运行规律，最终制定出优于其它17种历法的“太初历”，是浑天说对盖天说的有力的否定。

    汉代大文学家、天文学家杨雄的论述，《史记》、《旧唐书》等记载，均证明是落下闳创造了浑仪。

   第三大成就就是通其率。

    在数学方面，他发明“连分数（辗转相除）求渐进分数”的方法，定名“通其率”，现代学者称之为“落下闳算法”。“落下闳算法”比采用类似方法的印度数学家爱雅哈塔早600年，比提出连分数理论的意大利数学家朋柏里早1600年，它影响中国天文数学2000年。

    确立孟春正月为岁首的历日制度是落下闳又一伟大功绩。

     古时，颛顼历以十月为子月，为一岁之首，此作法不利于农作，同时，也不合于四季。落下闳在制定太初历时，改变了旧的历日制度，规定每年以孟春正月朔日为岁首，被汉武帝采用。落下闳确立正月为岁首后,人们将正月初一称为“元旦”、“新年”，民间习称“过年”，民间也就有了“春节”的说法一直沿用至今。所以，今天，我们也就尊称落下闳为“春节老人”。      

     落下闳第一次将24节气纳入历法，此一作法，奠定了春节的基础，同时也是遗惠千秋万代的创举。

     《太初历》颁行之后，汉武帝封落下闳为侍中（顾问），他辞而不受，回到阆中继续研究天文；并将他的渊博知识传给后代。在他的巨大影响下，汉唐时期的阆中成为我国古代著名的天文研究中心，人才荟萃，群星灿烂。

     西汉末，阆中出现了著名天文学家任文孙、任文公父子。三国时期的周舒、周群、周巨，祖孙三代天文学家。现今周氏祖孙住宅所在街道被命名为“管星街”。唐代天文学家、风水大师袁天罡、李淳风，定居阆中研究天文、数学，后终老于阆。早在唐代就有天宫院、淳风寺的纪念性建筑，并有袁天罡墓、李淳风墓，现正成为阆中风水文化旅游的朝圣和体验地。

      从联合国教科文组织的纪念会，到国际天文组织以他的名字命名小行星，以及各类辞书、典籍、方志的记载，各类报刊杂志和影视作品的宣传，人们以各种方式缅怀落下闳这位世界杰出科学家。阆中人民更是万分珍惜他给家乡带来的荣誉，不仅以建观星楼、命名七里新区“长公大道”、复建“星座苑”、创办“春节老人”网站、发行落下闳纪念章等形式纪念他，把他作为永远学习的榜样，我们用这些方式让这位伟人永远在我们心中闪光。

Constellation Garden

     Honored guests, we are going to visit the former residence of the famous astronomer Luoxia Hong. We are going to know about Luoxia Hong’s life in detail and then figure out the important status of Langzhong as the center of ancient astronomy study.

      Going through the quadrangle courtyard and here we are in the parquet. Luoxia Hong’s statue is before our eyes. This statue is made by the famous statuary of Langzhong nationality Wu Mingwan. A plaque is hanging above the statue, with the inscription of “An Eternal Reputation” by Mi Fu, the distinguished calligrapher in the Song Dynasty, giving a high praise of Luoxia Hong and his career. Now let’s have a deeper understanding of this great astronomer.

      With Luoxia as the family name and Hong as the given name, Luoxia Hong styled himself Changgong. He was born in Langzhong of Ba County in the Western Han Dynasty, which is the city of Langzhong nowadays. When he was young, he lived in village and was crazy about observing astronomical phenomenon. He gradually became famous in his hometown and was recommended by Sima Qian. Therefore, he was called in to the capital by Emperor Wu of Han, studying the calendar together with the then official astronomer Tang Du and Deng Ping. The calendar was employed by Emperor Wu of Han and released in the first year of Taichu period. This is why the calendar has been called “Taichu Calendar”. It is the first calendar with complete records in China’s history and thus occupies an extremely important status in history. And the creative contribution that Luoxia Hong made to astronomy, mathematics and agronomy has won the recognition of academic circles. Joseph Needham, the British scholar of scientific history, called Luoxia Hong “the brightest constellation in China’s astronomic history”.

    On September, 16th, 2004, under the approval of planet nomination committee of the national astronomic association, the national observatory of Chinese scientific institution named the planet with an eternal international number 16757 that Luoxia Hong found as “Luoxia Hong Planet”. Thereafter, Luoxia Hong became a real glorious constellation forever shining in the sky.

   What kind of contribution has Luoxia Hong made? Now let’s go into the first exhibition hall.

    In his book Science and Civilization in China, the British scholar of scientific history, Joseph Needham, made a comparison of the astronomic achievements between the east and the west at Luoxia Hong’s time, listing ten achievements, among which three were made by Luoxia Hong.

    The first achievement is the “Taichu Calendar” that he made. First let’s have a basic understanding of this calendar. Because the calendar that Luoxia Hong and Deng Ping made at that time “had the strictest and properest division of a lunar month; the sun and the moon are like the intact jade; the five stars are like the joint pearls.” The calendar was much better than the other 17 calendars thus it was employed by Emperor Wu of Han and released in the first year of Taichu period, gaining the name of “Taichu Calendar”. Emperor Wu of Han appointed Luoxia Hong the position of shizhong for praise. But Luoxia Hong refused the appointment while Deng Ping was appointed as Taishi.

    From the form, we can see that the “Taichu Calendar” is much more progressive than the former six ancient calendars. Nearly a hundred of calendars have been made in different dynasties. The form only lists several important ones. We can say that they are all based on the “Taichu Calendar” that Luoxia Hong made.

    The second achievement is that he put forward “Huntian Theory”.

    Luoxia Hong created armillary sphere and celestial globe, showing the globe model in a vivid way. Through long observation and scientific calculation, he demonstrated the Huntian Theory and the running rule of celestial bodies. Finally he made the “Taichu Calendar” that was better than other 17 ones. It was a powerful demonstration of Huntian Theory against Gaitian Theory.

   The words by Yang Xiong, the great litterateur and astronomer in the Han Dynasty, and the records on the book of Shiji and Jiu Tangshu can prove that it was Luoxia Hong who created armillary sphere.

   The third achievement is “Tong Qi Lü” that he made.

   In mathematics, he invented the method of “making division of the continued fraction to get the gradual fraction”. The method was named as “Tong Qi Lü”, which is called “Luoxia Hong arithmetic” by modern scholars. “Luoxia Hong arithmetic” is 600 years earlier than the similar method put forward by the Indian mathematics and is 1600 years earlier than the theory of continued fraction put forward by the Italian mathematics. It has had an effect on Chinese astronomy and mathematics for more than 2000 years.

    Luoxia Hong’s another achievement is the foundation of the system of lunar calendar with the first month of spring as the beginning of a year.

     In ancient times, the tenth month was regarded as the beginning of a year in Zhuanxu Calendar. But this calendar was neither suitable for agriculture nor for the four seasons. Luoxia Hong changed the old calendar and made the first month of spring as the beginning of a year, which was employed by Emperor Wu of Han. After the “Taichu Calendar” was released, people called the first day of the first month of the lunar year as “Yuandan” or “New year”. The common name is “guonian”. And the name of “festival” has handed down until now. Therefore, today we usually call Luoxia Hong “festival man” with respect.

     Luoxia Hong recorded the twenty-four solar terms in his calendar for the first time, which made a foundation of festival and became a creative contrition to later generations.

     After the “Taichu Calendar” was released, Emperor Wu of Han appointed Luoxia Hong the position of shizhong (consultant). But he refused the appointment and went back to Langzhong to go on his study on astronomy and meanwhile handed down his knowledge to later generations. Under his tremendous influence, Langzhong during the Han and the Tang Dynasties became the famous center of astronomic study in our country, together with a galaxy of talents.
 
     In the end of the Western Han Dynasty, there appeared astronomers Ren Wensun and his son Ren Wengong in Langzhong; in the Three Kingdoms, astronomers Zhou Shu, his son Zhou Qun and his grandson Zhou Ju. Nowadays the streets where Family Zhou lived are called “Guanxing Street”. The astronomer and the master of geomantic omen in the Tang Dynasty, Yuan Tiangang and Li Chunfeng, both lived in Langzhong studying astronomy and mathematics and finally died in Langzhong. There were buildings such as Tiangong Temple and Chunfeng Temple in memory of them in the Tang Dynasty as well as their tombs. Now the buildings and tombs have become the pilgrimage of geomantic omen culture in Langzhong.

     There have been various means in memory of Luoxia Hong, such a great scientist in the world, such as the commemoration of UNESCO, the denomination of the planet with his name by international astronomic organization, the records on different kinds of books, dictionaries and chorography, the publication of various newspapers and journals as well as movies and TV programs, etc. Langzhong people value in great measure the honor he brought for the hometown, building the Guanxing Tower, naming the new district as “Changgong Road”, rebuilding “Constellation Garden”, founding the website of “festival man”, and issuing Luoxia Hong souvenir badge to commemorate him and make him our example to learn from. Through these ways, this great man will forever live in our hearts.