Chinese Discoveries & Inventions

By angeliah.kelly
  • 2700 BCE

    Tea

    Tea
    tea is made by leaves and boiling water. It started being popular in the 8th century.
  • 740 BCE

    Paper Money

    Paper Money
    paper money was printed with wood blocks. some used numerous wood blocks to print more paper money faster.
  • 200 BCE

    Steel

    Steel
    Steel is made from iron, but it is less brittle than iron and easier to bend into different shapes.
  • 50

    Porcelain

    Porcelain
    pottery called porcelain. It is very delicate and is most of the time called china.
  • 150

    Paper

    Paper
    China invented paper. The earliest Chinese paper was
    probably made from hemp and then the bark of the mulberry tree. Later, the Chinese used rags.
  • 622

    Printing

    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. n the 7th century
  • 750

    Mechanical Clock

    Mechanical Clock
    We use this every day. The first invention was in the 8th century. Yi's clock operated with water steadily dripping on a wheel that made a full revolution every 24 hours.
  • 850

    Gunpowder

    Gunpowder
    Alchemists experimented with mixtures of natural ingredients, trying
    to find a substance that might allow people to live forever. They also searched for a way to make gold out of cheaper metals. By the 10th century, the Chinese had made the first weapon that used gunpowder: the flamethrower. Early flamethrowers contained gunpowder mixed with oil. The Chinese used them to spray enemies with a stream of fire.
  • 1300

    Rocket technology

    Rocket technology
    Rockets were powered by a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. At first, ockets 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.
  • 1300

    Game cards

    Game cards
    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.