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We know from written accounts that the Chinese have been drinking tea since at least 2700 B.C. For several
thousand years, tea—made by letting tea leaves steep in boiling water—was drunk mostly as medicine. However, by
the 8th century C.E., tea had become a hugely popular everyday beverage throughout China. Tea houses had sprung
up throughout the country. A famous writer, Lu Yu, wrote a book, Cha Jing (Tea Classic), describing how to
cultivate, prepare, and drink tea. -
Gunpowder was invented by Chinese Taoist alchemists
about 1000 A.D. when they tried to find a potion to gain
human immortality by mixing elemental sulfur, charcoal,
and saltpeter. It is generally believed that gunpowder spread
to Europe during the Mongol expansion of 1200-1300 A.D.
The interesting fact is that Chinese used this discovery
mainly for firecrackers while Europeans created cannons
and guns and dominated China in the mid-1800s. -
The Chinese first made steel, a very useful metal, before 200 B.C.E. Steel is made from iron, but it is less brittle than iron and easier to bend into different shapes.
The earliest Chinese steel was made from cast iron. The Chinese were the first to learn how to make cast iron by
melting and molding iron ore. Later they learned that blowing air into molten, or melted, cast iron causes a chemical
reaction that creates steel. Steel is a great deal stronger than iron. -
The invention of paper greatly affects human history. Paper already existed
in China since 105 A.C, however, a eunuch named Cai Lun (ca. 50 AD –
121) made significant innovation and helped drive its widespread adoption.
His advanced paper-making technology then spread to central Asia and the
world through the Silk Road. -
Another Chinese invention is a type of fine pottery called porcelain. Some historians think that the Chinese produced the first porcelain as early as the 1st century C.E. Porcelain is made by combining clay with the minerals quartz and feldspar. The mixture is baked in a kiln, or pottery oven, at very high temperatures. The resulting pottery is white, hard, and waterproof. However, light can pass through it, so that despite its
sturdiness it looks quite delicate and beautiful. -
The invention of paper made another key
development possible: printing. In about the 7th century,
the Chinese invented a technique called woodblock
printing. The printer first drew characters (symbols) on
paper. He then glued the paper to a wooden block. When
the glue was dry, the printer carved out the wood around
the characters, leaving the characters raised on the wood. -
A compass is a navigational
instrument that shows directions.
The compass was invented by
Chinese between the 2nd century
BC and 1st century AD. It was first
used in Feng Shui, the layout of
buildings. By 1000 AD, navigational
compasses were commonly used on
Chinese ships, enabling them to
navigate. Arab traders sailing to
China might learned of the tech and
brought it to the West. -
Rocket technology was developed in China during the Song dynasty. Rockets were powered by
a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. At first, rockets were used only in fireworks. Later, the
Chinese used them as weapons. They even developed a two-stage rocket for their armies. The first stage propelled the
rocket through the air. The second stage dropped arrows down on the enemy.
By 1300, rockets had spread through much of Asia and into Europe.
