Chinese discoveries and inventions

Rocket Technology

1300 BCE

Rockets were powered by a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. At first, rockets were used only in fireworks. Then, the Chinese used them as weapons. They even developed a two-stage rocket for their armies.

Game Cards and Paper Money

1300 BCE

Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Famous artists drew the designs that appeared on the backs of the cards. Before that time, coins were the only
form of currency. Like game cards, paper money was printed with wood blocks.

Steel

200 BCE

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.

disease prevention

50

The Chinese also made great strides in medicine and disease prevention. They discovered how to stop the spread of disease by using disinfectants and steam. Inoculations were used to protect individuals from catching smallpox.

porcelain

50

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.

Paper

150

The earliest Chinese paper was probably made from hemp and then the bark of the mulberry tree. Later, the Chinese used rags.

Printing

650

The invention of paper made another key development possible: printing. 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.

The Development of the Mechanical Clock

750

The new clock was more accurate than earlier timekeeping devices, such as sundials and hourglasses. The Chinese devised a wheel that made one complete turn every 24 hours. Dripping water made the wheel turn. Every quarter hour, drums would beat; and every hour, a bell would chime. The sounds let people know what time it was.

Tea

750

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.

Gun Powder

850

The Chinese who first made gunpowder were alchemists (people who practiced a blend of science and magic known as alchemy). Alchemists experimented with mixtures of natural ingredients, trying to find a substance that might allow people to live forever.