Chinese Discoveries and Inventions

Steel

200 BCE

Steel is made from iron, but it is less brittle than iron and is more flexible. 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 reaction that crafts steel. Steel is stronger than iron and uses better materials.

Porcelain

50

Another Chinese invention is a type of pottery called porcelain. By combining clay with the minerals quartz and feldspar, the mixture is baked in a kiln/pottery oven at high temperatures. The resulting pottery is white, hard, and waterproof. By the 10th century, the Chinese were making porcelain of great beauty. Crafts-people learned how to paint pictures on porcelain. Chinese porcelain became a prized item for trade. People today still refer to fine dinnerware as “china."

Paper

150

Paper was first made by the bark of a mulberry tree and hemp. It became an important industry in China. For more than 500 years, the Chinese were the only people in the world who knew the secret of making paper. From China, knowledge of paper making traveled to Japan and across Central Asia. Europeans probably first learned about this art after 1100. Considering how important it is for recording and transmitting information, few inventions touch our daily lives more than paper.

Gunpowder

650

Gunpowder was discovered by alchemists who were trying to extend someone’s longevity, as well as making gold from cheaper material. However, through the experimentation, an explosive substance was found and the formula was recorded. Gunpowder has become an important part of the military, as they used it for flame-throwing, artillery ammunition (for catapults).

Mechanical Clock

750

The Chinese developed the first mechanical clock in about the 8th century. 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. The Chinese improved the mechanical clock in 1092, during the Song dynasty. The new clock worked on the same principles as the earlier one, but it was much more complex and accurate.

Paper Money

800

Paper money was invented by the Chinese in the late 8th or early 9th century. Before that time, coins were the only form of currency. Like game cards, paper money was printed with wood blocks. By 1107, Song printers were using multiple wood blocks to print each bill. A single bill would have many colors. Paper money is the most common form of currency in the world today.

Cards

850

Game cards were invented in China in about the 9th century. Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Famous artists drew the designs that appeared on the backs of the cards. Europeans were introduced to card games by the late 1300s. Today, card games are played throughout the world.

Flamethrower

950

The Chinese’s first invention involving gunpowder was a flamethrower, a device that spews out a mixture of oil and gunpowder. They used this to spray enemies with a stream of fire, which is a good tactic to keep the enemy at a distance.

Inoculation

950

The Chinese discovered how to inoculate people against smallpox. Inoculation is a way of stimulating a person’s immune system to fight a particular disease. To inoculate people against smallpox, Chinese physicians took a small part of a scab from an infected person and made it into a powder. Then they inserted the powder into the nose of the person they wanted to immunize, or protect. Chinese knowledge about smallpox inoculation eventually led to the development of vaccines.

Rockets

1120

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.