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400
Paddle-wheel boats
Paddle-wheel boats allowed the Chinese to travel much faster on rivers and lakes. Also they were much easier to maneuver than other types of watercraft. -
Feb 13, 618
Improving bridges
For example, in 618 C.E. , a Chinese engineer completed a new type of arched bridge.The new Chinese bridge used arches that were a smaller part, or segment, of a circle. This made the bridges broader and flatter than semicircular arches could. -
Feb 13, 650
Printer
In about the 7th century, the Chinese invented a technique called woodblock printing. It first drew characters (symbols) on paper. By the 8th century, there was an entire woodblock printing industry in China. -
Rocket Technology
Rockets were powered by a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. Before, rockets were used only in fireworks. After, the Chinese used them as weapons. -
Flamethrower
By the 10th century, the Chinese had made the first weapon that used gunpowder which was the flamethrower. Flamethrowers contained gunpowder mixed with oil. They used them to spray their enemies with a stream of fire. -
Porcelain
Another Chinese invention is a type of fine pottery called porcelain. Porcelain is made by combining clay with the minerals quartz and feldspar. By the 10th century, the Chinese were making porcelain of great beauty. -
Improving travel by sea
The Chinese developed the first compass as early as the 3rd century B.C.E. First they were were pieces of a magnetic mineral called lodestone. -
Boat construction
The Chinese also made sea travel safer by improving boat construction. By the 2nd century C.E., they started building ships with separate, watertight compartments. -
Gunpowder
Chinese alchemists accidentally discovered when they were using saltpeter to try and find a secret to immortality -
Period: to Dec 31, 1400
Chinese History
