ABSTRACT
Two types of documents attest to mathematical activity in early China. Some are books handed down through the written tradition. Others are manuscripts that date from the last centuries bce and were discovered recently. All these sources shed light on mathematics as practised in, or selected by, specific state institutions. This chapter focuses on what these writings tell us about mathematical knowledge and practices in early China, and also about some of the social contexts in which mathematical activity was carried out. It highlights the importance of mathematics for the state bureaucracy. The chapter also discusses directions taken by theoretical work in mathematics, to which these early Chinese documents attest.
