Over the last 2000 years and more, though dynasties came and went, with research funding and equipment provided by kings and emperors, the Chinese accumulated an enormous and unbroken collection of observational records which form the world's most complete set of astronomical data.
兩千多年來，儘管改朝換代，但在帝王提供研究經費、儀器設備下，中國人累積了大量、從未間斷的天象觀察記錄，成為世界上最完整的天文資料。