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Chinese Inventions

By Robert McCarry
  • 1250 BCE

    Bombs/Grenades

    Bombs/Grenades
    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 war machine called a catapult. The sound of the exploding shells confused the enemy and terrified their horses. Small bombs, or grenades, were lit and thrown by hand.
  • 800 BCE

    Mechanical Clock

    Mechanical Clock
    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.
  • 300 BCE

    Porcelain

    Porcelain
    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.
  • 250 BCE

    Compasses

    Compasses
    By the Song dynasty, the Chinese were using this type of compass to help them navigate on long voyages. People still use the same kind of device today. Like the compass, other Chinese inventions and discoveries made it possible for people to do things better than they had before.
  • 500

    Paper

    Paper
    Paper 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.
  • Feb 15, 700

    Print

    Print
    printing. In about the 7th century, the Chinese invented a technique called woodblock printing. The printer first drew characters (symbols) paper.
  • Feb 15, 750

    Tea

    Tea
    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.
  • Feb 15, 850

    Gunpowder

    Gunpowder
    Chinese alchemists looking for the secrete of eternal life accidentally discovered when working with a mineral called saltpepper. Military Tech called gunpowder
  • Feb 15, 950

    Flamethrower

    Flamethrower
    By the 10th century, the Chinese had made the first weapon that used gunpowder: the flamethrower. Early flamethrowers contained gunpowder mixed with oil. The Chinese used them to spray enemies with a stream of fire.