徐光启,字子先,号玄扈,今江苏上海徐家汇人,生于公元1562年(嘉靖四十一年)卒于公元1633年(崇祯六年)。公元1597年(明万历廿五年)。参加乡试中了举人,1604年又考取进士,1632年(崇祯五年),官至尚书兼东阁大学士。他所处的时代,正是明王朝走向腐朽没落的时代,他从巩固王朝天下出发,曾极力主张从政治上,经济上进 Xu Guangqi, the word first, number Xuan Hu, now Xujiahui, Shanghai, Jiangsu, was born in AD 1562 (Jiajing forty-one years) died in AD 1633 (Chongzhen six years). AD 1597 (Ming Wanli 25 years). Participate in the rural examination in the juren, in 1604 and admitted to jinshi, 1632 (Chongzhen five years), official to Shang Shuji and East Club bachelor. In the era in which he lived, it was the Ming dynasty that had gone decadently declining. From consolidating the dynastic world, he strongly advocated political and economic progress