Cheng Dawei, A Master of Abacus

Born in Shuaikou Village of Xiuning County, Cheng Dawei (1533 ~ 1606), Rusi by courtesy name and Binqu by poetic name, was a famous grand master of ancient abacus. According to The Cheng Genealogy, " Cheng Dawei mastered seal script and was well versed in algorithm". When away from home on business, he would go to consult anyone he heard of to be an expert at calculating figures. And he would purchase a classic at the cost. He epitomized all the great achievements in abacus before the Ming Dynasty and wrote monumental work General Survey of Algorithm, which has produced a lasting, far-reaching and profound influence, unparalleled by any other mathematical works, as The Brief History of China's Mathematics puts it.