Chinese Zhusuan, knowledge and practices of mathematical calculation through the abacus
The item “Chinese Zhusuan, knowledge and practices of mathematical calculation through the abacus” was inscribed on UNESCO's Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity in 2013.
Chinese Zhusuan is a time-honoured traditional method of performing mathematical calculations with an abacus. Practitioners can perform addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, exponential multiplication, root and more complicated equations by moving beads along the abacus rods according to defined formulas.
Chinese Zhusuan has played a vital role in giving an impetus to mathematical studies, promoting algorithmic practices and fostering intelligence.
