▁pri zed ▁for ▁there ▁a est het ics ▁and ▁medical ▁properties . ▁One ▁practice ▁involved ▁dissol ving ▁a ▁foss il ▁( cal cite ) ▁in ▁vin eg ar ▁( an ▁acid ) ▁and ▁then ▁drink ing ▁the ▁liquid . ▁However , ▁as ▁knowledge ▁of ▁the ▁natural ▁world ▁was ▁ex cluded ▁from ▁the ▁imperial ▁exam ination ▁system ▁no ▁system atic ▁study ▁developed . ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁also ▁observed ▁in ▁the ▁ 1 1 th ▁century , ▁by ▁Chinese ▁scholar ▁Sh en ▁Ku o , ▁in ▁his ▁work ▁Dream ▁Pool ▁Ess ays , ▁that ▁the ▁existence ▁of ▁foss ils ▁of ▁species ▁that ▁no ▁longer ▁lived ▁in ▁the ▁area , ▁showed ▁that ▁clim ates ▁had ▁changed ▁in ▁the ▁past . ▁He ▁also ▁infer red ▁that ▁the ▁landscape ▁evol ved ▁over ▁time , ▁due ▁to ▁er os ion ▁and ▁u pl ift . ▁This ▁led ▁him ▁to ▁believe ▁that ▁vast ▁sp ans ▁of ▁time ▁were ▁needed ▁to ▁form ▁China ' s ▁ge omorph ology . ▁ ▁Scient ific ▁era ▁ ▁It ▁was ▁not ▁until ▁late ▁in ▁the ▁Q ing ▁D ynast y ▁( 1 6 4 4 – 1 9 1 1 ) ▁that ▁the ▁government ▁form ulated ▁a ▁policy ▁to ▁introduce ▁foreign ▁science ▁and ▁technology ▁into ▁China . ▁Modern ▁ge olog ic ▁ideas ▁were ▁introduced ▁with ▁the ▁establishment ▁of ▁technical ▁schools ▁and ▁the ▁translation ▁into ▁Chinese ▁of ▁works ▁by ▁James ▁D . ▁D ana ▁and ▁Charles ▁Ly ell ▁during ▁the ▁ 1 8 7 0 s . ▁Early ▁in ▁the ▁tw enti eth ▁century , ▁foreign