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How did European mathematics influence East Asian mathematics after the 17th century?

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East Asian mathematics Counting boards and markers, or counting rods, were used in China to solve systems of linear equations. This is an example from the 1st century ce.

After the 17th century, European mathematics exerted a profound influence on East Asian mathematical traditions, though the nature of this impact differed between China and Japan.

In China, the arrival of European missionaries at the end of the 16th century introduced Western works, such as the translation of Euclid’s Elements by Matteo Ricci and Xu Guangqi in 1607. Chinese scholars engaged in a process of synthesis, attempting to reconcile these new methods with their own traditions. Notably, in the 18th century, Western algebra provided the tools necessary for Mei Juecheng to decipher and revive ancient Chinese mathematical texts that had previously been forgotten.1

In Japan, the influence was initially more indirect. During the Tokugawa period, contact with the West was restricted to Dutch traders at Deshima. Through the scholarly tradition of rangaku ("Dutch learning"), Japanese scholars studied European science, medicine, and technology. While Japanese mathematicians independently advanced their own tradition, known as wasan, they eventually adopted Western mathematical practices more broadly by the end of the 19th century.234