Chinese Discoveries & Inventions

Steel

200 BCE

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.

Disease Prevention

1 BCE

A Chinese monk
recommended steaming the clothes of sick people. He believed that the steam would prevent others from becoming
ill. The idea was sound, because hot temperatures kill many germs.

Paper

150

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

Porcelain

500

Porcelain was made of combining clay with the minerals quartz and feldspar. Porcelain is quite delicate and beautiful.

Printing

720

It was a wood block which had carvings on it then it would have ink which would print on the paper.

Paper Money

750

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.

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.

Playing Cards

800

Printers used
woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Famous artists drew the designs that appeared on the backs
of the cards.

Gun Powder

850

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.

Rockets

1250

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.