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16,000 BCE
bridges
Within China, people often traveled by boat on rivers or
across lakes. An innovation of a vessel called a paddlewheel boat made this type of travel must faster.
Have you ever paddled a canoe or other small boat? As you push your paddle through the water, the boat moves
forward. In the 5th century, the Chinese adapted this idea by arranging a series of paddles in a wheel. People walked
on a treadmill to turn the paddlewheel, which in turn moved through the water, moving the boat forward. -
2732 BCE
TEA
he history of tea dates back to ancient China, almost 5,000 years ago. According to legend, in 2732 B.C. Emperor Shen Nung discovered tea when leaves from a wild tree blew into his pot of boiling water. He was immediately interested in the pleasant scent of the resulting brew, and drank some. -
1600 BCE
porcelain
Porcelain is a very specific kind of ceramic produced in the extreme temperatures of a kiln. Porcelain, of course, originated in China; which is how China gets its name. Early in the 16th century BC during the Shang Dynasty , the ancient prototypes of porcelain had already appeared in China -
1600 BCE
steel
During the Shang Dynasty to the Eastern Zhou Dynasty China went into a flourishing period for steel smelting. In the Han Dynasty private-enterprise iron-making was abolished and was monopolized by the state, creating an iron-smelting bloom. -
205 BCE
Printing press
Printing in East Asia evolved from ink rubbings made on paper or cloth from texts on stone tables in China during the Han dynasty . Mechanical woodblock printing on paper started in China during the Tang dynasty before the 8th century CE. Use of woodblock printing quickly spread to other East Asian -
205 BCE
compass
The magnetic compass was first invented as a device for divination as early as the Chinese Han Dynasty The compass was used in Song Dynasty China by the military for navigational orienteering by 1040–44, and was used for maritime navigation by 1111 to 1117. -
1300
Gunpower
Gunpowder, also known as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive.Ignition of gunpowder packed behind a projectile generates enough pressure to force the shot from the muzzle at high speed, but usually not enough force to rupture the gun barrel. -
paper
The widespread use of paper and printing were features of ancient China which distinguished it from other ancient cultures. Traditionally, paper was invented in the early 2nd century CE, but there is evidence it was much earlier. As a cheaper and more convenient material than bamboo, wood, or silk, paper helped spread -
games cards
printers used woodblock printing to make the cards form forms thick papers was with wood blocks by 1107 song printers were using multiple wood blocks to prints each bill.
