Chinese Inventions

The Chinese people start to drink tea

2650 BCE

"We know from written accounts that the Chinese have been drinking tea since at least 2700 B.C. For several
thousand years, tea—made by letting tea leaves steep in boiling water—was drunk mostly as medicine. However, by
the 8th century C.E., tea had become a hugely popular everyday beverage throughout China. Tea houses had sprung
up throughout the country. The drink’s popularity made tea-plant cultivation a major industry, often involving
an entire community."

The Chinese people discover the purposes of 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."

The Chinese develop porcelain

50

"Another Chinese invention is a type of fine pottery called porcelain. Some historians think that the Chinese produced the first porcelain as early as the 1st century C.E. 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. The resulting pottery is white, hard, and waterproof. However, light can pass through it, so that despite its sturdiness it looks quite delicate and beautiful."

The Chinese revolutionize medicinal practices

50

"Before the 1st century C.E., the Chinese developed a way of fighting infectious diseases. Sometime around the 10th century, the Chinese discovered how to inoculate people against smallpox, a dreaded infectious disease. A Chinese monk recommended steaming the clothes of sick people. He believed that the steam would prevent others from becoming
ill. The idea was sound, because hot temperatures kill many germs."

The Chinese start to print the first paper money

700

"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."

The Chinese develop the modern clock

750

"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. The
Chinese devised a wheel that made one complete turn every 24 hours. Dripping water made the wheel turn. Every
quarter hour, drums would beat; and every hour, a bell would chime. The sounds let people know what time it was."

The Chinese people discover gunpowder while trying to find a potion for immortality.

850

"Alchemists experimented with mixtures of natural ingredients, trying to find a substance that might allow people to live forever. In 850 C.E., during the Tang dynasty, alchemists recorded a formula for gunpowder. By the 10th century, the Chinese had made the first weapon that used gunpowder: the flamethrower. Between the 11th and 14th centuries, the Chinese created many other weapons using gunpowder. Artillery shells, for example, exploded after being hurled at enemies by a catapult."

The Chinese invent game cards

850

"Game cards were invented in China in about the 9th century. Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Famous artists drew the designs that appeared on the backs
of the cards. Europeans were introduced to card games by the late 1300s. Today, card games are played throughout the world."

The Chinese people create bombs

1050

"Small bombs, or grenades, were lit and thrown by hand.
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."

The Song dynasty creates the rocket.

1150

"Rocket technology was developed in China during the Song dynasty. 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. They even developed a two-stage rocket for their armies. The first stage propelled the rocket through the air. The second stage dropped arrows down on the enemy."