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Period: 150 to Feb 12, 1400
CE
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500
Industry porcelain
Another Chinese invention is a type of fine pottery called porcelain. Porcelain is made by combining clay with the minerals quartz and feldspar. The resulting pottery is white, and hard. -
Feb 18, 750
Industry printer
The invention of paper made another key development possible: printing. To print from the block, the printer covered the characters with black ink. -
Feb 18, 770
Everyday objects paper money
Paper money was invented by the Chinese in the late 8th or early 9th century. Before that time, coins were the only form of currency. -
Feb 17, 850
Everyday Objects game cards
Game cards were invented in China in about the 9th century. Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. -
Feb 18, 850
Everyday Objects 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. -
Apr 20, 850
Military Gunpowder
By accident, they discovered that it could be used to make an explosive powder. During the Tang dynasty, alchemists recorded a formula for gunpowder. The Chinese created many other weapons using gunpowder. Artillery shells, for example, exploded after being hurled at enemies by a war machine called a catapult. -
Sep 19, 1100
Industry paper
The Chinese invented the art of papermaking by the second century C.E. The earliest Chinese paper was probably made from hemp and then the bark of the mulberry tree. -
May 25, 1200
Military bombs
In the 13th century, the Chinese used large bombs that were as explosive as modern bombs. Around the same time, they developed weapons much like today’s rifles and cannons. -
Feb 12, 1300
Military Rockets
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.
