This is a collection of lectures on the history of chinese science by one of the foremost experts in this field. Foremost among those writing in english, at least. Since the book is so short it's a bit sketchy sometimes and it reads mostly like a selection of tidbits for arousing interest in this topic. Some of the concluding remarks on why modern science developed in the west rather than in china were interesting, but I think persons with a serious interest in chinese science can just as well move directly to the other, more detailed studies written by this author.