Information should never be destroyed. There is a treasure trove of obsolete but preserved cultural knowledge out there, and China is a bit of a dark spot becau

Information should never be destroyed. There is a treasure trove of obsolete but preserved cultural knowledge out there, and China is a bit of a dark spot because of the great leap. Preserving historical knowledge is not the same as perpetuating it or believing it's effective. Keeping a record of what societies did what is extremely important, regardless of whether it worked. If nothing else, so that a particular failed avenue of research isn't pursued again.