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Period: 3000 BCE to Dec 31, 1400
3000 BCE to 1400 CE
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2700 BCE
Tea
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.Industry -
200 BCE
Steel
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.Industry -
50
Porcelain
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. Industry -
105
Movable type
In the 11th century, during the Song dynasty, the Chinese invented movable type. (Europeans developed movable type independently in the 1400s.) -
Feb 14, 650
Printing
The invention of paper made another key envelopment possible: printing. In about the 7th century, the Chinese invented a technique called woodblock printing. Industry -
Feb 14, 750
The Development of the Mechanical Clock
The Chinese developed the first mechanical clock in about the 8th century. The new clock was more accurate than earlier timekeeping devices, such as sundials and hourglasses. Everyday Objects -
Feb 13, 850
Gunpowder
Chinese at alchemist accidentally discovered that it could be used to make an explosive powder. MILITARY TECHNOLOGY -
Feb 13, 1300
Game Cards and Paper Money
Game cards were invented in China in about the 9th century. Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Everyday Objects -
Feb 13, 1300
Rocket Technology
Rockets were powered by a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. At first, rockets were used only in fireworks. Military Technology
