Chinese Inventions

Tea

2700 BCE

This beverage was mainly used as medicine at first but then because one of the most popular drinks in the civilization. It was later traded and brought to Japan by 1200.

Silk

2700 BCE

Silk was what China was known for for most of its time. Silk was valued over gold because no one else new how to make it. To trade, merchants would go on the silk road, a trail leading from Europe and China.

Compass

250 BCE

The Chinese used lodestone to find the direction of north and south because of its magnetic properties.

Steel

200 BCE

Steel was first invented by the Chinese. They found that blowing air into molten cast iron would start a chemical reaction which would create steel. This invention would prove useful for the future as steel is what most of our buildings are made out of because steel is much stronger than cast iron..

Boat Construction

150

The method of building separate compartments for a boat was invented by the Chinese. This allowed a leak on one part of the boat to not sink the whole ship. This method is still used today in modern boats.

Paper

150

Paper was first made with hemp and the bark of a mulberry tree. The process of making paper was kept secret from other civilizations until about the 12th century.

Paddle Wheel

450

The paddle wheel is just a wheel with paddles with a bit of modification. The Chinese paddle wheel was powered by people which made it easy to direct. This invention made boats much more efficient than traditional paddles and that's why it can still be found on boats today.

Gunpowder

850

Gun Powder was made accidentally when Chinese Alchemists were trying to find the secret to eternal life. This explosive was made with saltpeter (potassium nitrate), sulfur, charcoal.

Porcelain

950

The Chinese created porcelain, a hard yet light material used to make pottery. They made this by combining clay with quartz and feldspar, then baking at extremely high temperatures in a kiln.