Ordering the Myriad Things

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English-language literature on the history of science remains Euro-centric, often overlooking Chinese resources that document sophisticated premodern knowledge of the natural world. Botany serves as a compelling case for examining the transition from "traditional" systems of organization and classification to "modern" approaches. China's extensive documented knowledge of plants is primarily found in a rich corpus of Materia Medica, alongside horticultural manuals, encyclopedias, geographies, and specialized anthologies. The authors of these texts were keen observers of nature, focusing on verifying classical references rather than employing diagnostic tools to identify new species or properties until the late nineteenth century. This work chronicles the transformation of traditional plant knowledge in China into scientific botany over approximately a hundred years, from 1850 to 1950. During this period, there was a significant shift from viewing plants as culturally rich objects to studying them within a scientific framework that emphasized taxonomic relationships and ecological contexts. This evolution not only broadened the understanding of plants, revealing unknown species and geographies, but also contributed to a deeper knowledge of China itself.