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Period: 300 BCE to 1400
Chinese History
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250 BCE
The Compass
The first Chinese compasses were pieces of magnetic material called lodestone -
250 BCE
Steel
Steel is made from iron but is less brittle and is easier to bend into different shapes. 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. -
50
Porcelain
Porcelain is made by combining clay with the minerals quartz and feldspar. The mixture is baked in a kiln, or pottery oven, at very high temperatures. -
150
Paper
The earliest Chinese paper was probably made from hemp and then the bark of mulberry. -
650
Printing
In about the 7th century the Chinese invented invented a technique called woodblock printing. The printer first drew characters on paper. then the paper was glued to a wooden block. When the glue is dry the printer carves out the characters, leaving them raised on the wood. -
750
Mechanical Clock
The new clock was more accurate than sundials and hourglasses. The Chinese created a wheel that made one complete turn every 24 hours. -
850
Gunpowder
Chinese alchemists accidentally discovered gunpowder, while looking for a substance that would allow people to live forever. -
850
Playing cards
Printers used woodblock to make the cards from thick paper. Famous artists drew the designs that appeared on the backs of cards. Europeans were introduced to card games by the 1300s. -
900
Paper Money
Before paper money, coins were the only currency. Like game cards, money was printed with wood blocks. By 1107, Song printers were using multiple wood blocks to print each bill.
