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2700 BCE
Tea
Known from written accounts, Chinese have been drinking tea since 2700 B.C. The tea they drank was made by drowning tea leaves in boiling water. Over the years, tea became more popular. -
Period: 300 BCE to Jan 31, 1400
Chinese history
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200 BCE
Steel
The Chinese first invented steel before 200 B.C.E. They found that steel was a very useful metal and was made from iron. -
50
Porcelain
A porcelain is a piece of pottery that the Chinese invention. The Chinese believe that porcelain was invented in the 1st century. -
50
Disease Prevention
Before the 1st century, the Chinese develop a way to kill off diseases with medicine. To do this, they burned a chemical that set off a poisonous smoke, that the Chinese believed killed the germs that were causing the disease. -
650
Printing
In the 7th century, the Chinese invented woodblock. The invention of paper also contributed to the making of printing. -
750
Mechanical clock
The Chinese invented the first mechanical clock in the 8th century. They did this by getting a wheel, which completes a complete turn every 24 hours. Dripping water made the wheel turn. -
800
Game Cards and Paper Money
Game cards were invented in China in the 9th century. Woodblock printing was used to print the cards from thick paper. Also, the fancy designs you see on the back of the cards were drawn by famous Chinese artist. Paper money was also invented by the Chinese in the late 8th or early 9th century. Before the invention of the paper money, the only money was in the form of coins. -
850
Gunpowder
Chinese alchemist looking for a secret for eternal life accidentally discovered gunpowder. -
1300
Rockets
At first, the Chinese invented rockets for fireworks. As time went on, the Chinese used rockets for weapons. Rockets were powered by black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur.
