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Period: 300 BCE to 1400
Chinese History
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150 BCE
Steel
Steel is made from iron, but it is less brittle than iron and 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 quartz and feldspar. The mixture is then baked in a kiln. raft-people would paint pictures on the porcelain and made colored glazes to decorate the porcelain. -
250
Compass
The first Chinese compasses were pieces of a magnetic mineral
called lodestone. Because lodestone is magnetic, it is influenced by Earth’s magnetic poles so it will always point to the north. -
750
Mechanical Clock
The Chinese devised a wheel that made one complete turn every 24 hours. Dripping water made the wheel turn.Every quarter hour, a drum would beat and every hour, a bell would chime. -
850
Gunpowder
Gunpowder was accidentally discovered by alchemists who were looking for the secret to eternal life. -
910
Game Cards
Printer used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Famous artists drew the designs. -
910
Paper Money
Paper money was printed with wood blocks. -
1000
Flamethrower
Early flamethrowers contained gunpowder mixed with oil. The Chinese used them to spray enemies with a stream of fire. -
1300
Rocket technology
Rockets were powered by a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. At first, rockets were only used as fireworks, but then they were used as weapons.
