Shiny Inventions

tea

2700 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. A famous writer, Lu Yu, wrote a book, Cha Jing (Tea Classic), describing how to
cultivate, prepare, and drink tea.

steel

200 BCE

Steel 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 earliest Chinese steel was made from cast iron. The Chinese were the first to learn how to make cast iron by
melting and molding iron ore.

porcelian

90

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. The mixture
is baked in a kiln, or pottery oven, at very high temperatures.

Chinese History

Period: 300 to 1400

paper

500

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.
Papermaking became an important industry in China. For more than 500 years,

printing

601

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 characters (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.

rocket technolgy

700

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.

mechanical clock

800

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.

Gunpowder

850

The Chinese who first made gunpowder were alchemists, people who practiced a
blend of science and magic known as alchemy. Alchemists experimented with mixtures of natural ingredients, trying
to find a substance that might allow people to live forever. They also searched for a way to make gold out of cheaper
metals.

game cards

1300

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.