Chinese inventions

Compass

206 BCE

made of lodestone, a naturally magnetized ore of iron

Steel

200 BCE

The Chinese first made steel, a very useful metal, before 200 B.C.E. Steel is made from iron, but it is less brittle than iron and easier to bend into different shapes.

porcelain

50

Another Chinese invention is a type of fine pottery called porcelain.

Paper

150

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. Later, the Chinese used rags.

Paddle wheel boat

450

the Chinese adapted this idea by arranging a series of paddles in a wheel. People walked on a treadmill to turn the paddle wheel, which in turn moved through the water, moving the boat forward.

Bridges

618

Many cultures developed engineering technologies.
However, the segmental arch bridge is one of China’s most
prized achievements. Bridges of that design stretch over
expressways around the world.

Printing

650

Printing The invention of paper made another key
development possible: printing. In about the 7th century,
the Chinese invented a technique called woodblock
printing. The printer first drew symbols on
paper. He then glued the paper to a wooden block. When
the glue was dry, the printer carved out the wood around
the characters, leaving the characters raised on the wood.

Paper Money

800

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. Like game cards, paper money was printed with wood blocks. By 1107, Song printers were using
multiple wood blocks to print each bill. A single bill would have many colors. Paper money is the most common
form of currency in the world today.

Gun powder

850

Chinese alchemist accidentally discovered when looking for a secret to eternal life