Nan-Yao Su

Nan-Yao Su, a distinguished University of Florida entomology professor and inventor of the Sentricon termite system, turns his scientific lens to history in Middle Kingdom Lost. Born in Taiwan and raised in Japan, Su spent decades haunted by a childhood question: why did China fall behind despite inventing gunpowder, the compass, and printing? Applying the same analytical methods he used to study complex biological systems; Su addresses the famous Needham Puzzle. His interdisciplinary work explores why Europe surged ahead and how Japan rapidly modernized, culminating in a rigorous, evidence-driven account of how the Middle Kingdom was lost.