Chinese inventions
- Most people know China’s Four Great inventions papermaking, the compass, gunpowder, and printing. The list below contains these and other inventions in China, it will amaze you.
- Paper is possibly one of the most important inventions of all time. Records show that paper existed in China as early as 105 AD. The oldest piece of paper was found in China and dates back to the first or second century. The paper back then was so durable (the reason why this piece survived so long), it was used as a material for clothing, and even sometimes light armor. The technology would later spread to Europe via the famous Silk Road. By the way, toilet paper was also invented in China, but back then it was only made available to Emperors.
- The world’s oldest surviving book is Chinese, a Buddhist text called the Diamond Sutra, which bears the date 868 AD. Along with other printed manuscripts, the book was discovered in 1907 in a walled-up cave in Dunhuang (north-west China) and is on display at the British Library.
- The Chinese were the first in the world to use paper money, during the Tang Dynasty in the 7th century. Its use evolved from merchant receipts of deposit and was widely printed by the government after a copper shortage.
- The magnetic compass was first invented as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD). These early compasses were made from lodestone which is a naturally magnetized iron ore. These devices were later used for navigation during the 11th Century Song Dynasty. Lodestone was replaced with iron needles that were magnetized by striking with some lodestone. The first usage of a compass recorded in Western Europe and the Islamic world occurred around 1190. The compass would drastically improve sea trade and was a prerequisite to the later Age of Discovery.
- Another incredibly crucial Chinese invention was the development of gunpowder. Interestingly, it was discovered completely by mistake in, or around, 1000 AD. Chinese inventors were attempting to develop an elixir for eternal life. The result, as it turned out, would be a substance that would prematurely end countless lives throughout history. Like other Chinese inventions, it was eventually introduced to Europe sometime later. It is widely believed this occurred with the Mongol invasion of 1200-1300 AD.
- One of the most important inventions of all time was the development of print. The earliest example comes from a Tang tomb near Xi’an in China.This delicate manuscript consisted of a woodblock printing on a piece of hemp paper that dates to around 650 to 670 AD. The movable type would also appear in China sometime around 1088 AD. It would be another four centuries before the technology would be introduced to Europe thanks to one Johannes Gutenberg. It would literally transform the balance of power and control of information forever.
- The Chinese invented kites about 3,000 years ago, and they were used for a multitude of reasons: from scaring enemies on the battlefield to predicting the success of a voyage. Also, it was considered bad luck to intentionally let go of a kite.
- The Crossbow is symbolic of battlefields of the middle ages. But they were actually a Chinese invention from almost 2.5 millennia ago. It was invented in China as an answer to heavily armored troops. The Chinese were also using chemical and gas weapons some 2,000 years before they were used in Europe during the first world war.
- The Chinese invented eyeglasses over a 1,000 years ago, according to British scientist and historian Sir Joseph Needman. By the time Marco Polo arrived in China around 1270, eyeglasses (which he mentions in his accounts) were widely used in the Chinese upper class. It looks like another one for ancient China.
- The Chinese invented the world’s first seismometer (earthquake detector) in 132 AD, using a large bronze vessel with eight dragon’s heads that held bronze balls. During an earthquake, the earth’s movement would cause a ball to fall, indicating the direction of the quake.
- Silk, one of the oldest fibers, originated in China as early as 6,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of silk was discovered at Yangshao culture site in Xiaxian County, Shanxi Province, China where a silk cocoon was found cut in half, dating back to between 4000 and 3000 BC. Chinese people mastered sophisticated silk weaving tech and closely guarded secret, and the West had to pay gold of the same weight for the silks. In ancient times the silk was a very important item made in China and for many centuries businessmen transported this precious item from China to the West, using the famous Silk Road.
- Porcelain is a great invention of ancient China. The earliest porcelain emerged in Shang Dynasty (1600– 1046 BCE) and matured during the Tang Dynasty (618- 906). During the Song Dynasty (960–1279), porcelain production technology reached an unprecedented height due to its focus on shape and the tactile experiences of the glaze. Chinese porcelain was highly prized in the world and many artworks had been introduced to the West through the Silk Road.
- According to old Chinese legend, tea was first discovered by Shennong, Chinese Father of Agriculture, around 2,737 BC. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907) tea became a popular drink enjoyed by all social classes. Cha Jing (or The Book of Tea), written by Lu Yu in the Tang Dynasty, explicated ways to cultivate tea, tea drinking and different classifications of tea in details. The book is considered as the world’s first monograph about tea. And the world’s oldest and largest living tea tree can be found in Lin Cang, China, about 3,200 years old.
- The oldest Chinese medicine book ‘Neijing’, also known as ‘The Classic of Internal Medicine of the Yellow Emperor’, shows that acupuncture was widely used as a therapy in China much before the time it was written. Besides, various kinds of acupuncture needles were discovered in the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng who died around 200 BC. This is a further proof that acupuncture were already in use in China more than two thousand years ago.
- And nope, football (soccer) was not invented in Europe. The first recorded information about the sport was 2,200 years ago in China during the Han Dynasty. The sport was refined during the Tang Dynasty (618–907) and Song Dynasty (960–1279). Professional players entertained the imperial court. The world’s first soccer ball was made of leather. The ball was filled with feathers and hair and the sport was original called ‘Ti Zu Qiu’, which means ‘kick the ball with foot’. Later, it spread to neighboring countries like Japan, Korea, and Vietnam, and eventually Europe, leading to what we know today as soccer.
- Finally, Fortune cookies are not an original Chinese invention or tradition. They were invented by a noodle factory worker in the 1920s, in San Francisco. We guess you could say fortune cookies are a traditional American custom. This is contrary to what many people think.
