Greatest Chinese Inventions

1. Greatest Chinese Inventions PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

2. Writing PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

3. A group of ancient tombs have been discovered in recent years in Shandong Province which date back 4,500 years. Among the relics are about a dozen pottery wine vessels, which bear one character each. These characters are found to be stylized pictures of some physical objects, and so are called pictographs.  • By 1700 BC, symbols were carved on oracle bones and tortoise shells, shown at left.  These are thought to be the first true Chinese writing.  These picture words underwent a gradual evolution over the centuries until the pictographs changed into "square characters," some simplified by losing certain strokes and others made more complicated but, as a whole, from irregular drawings they became stylized forms.  By 1200 BC Chinese writing was already a highly developed writing system that was used to record a language fairly similar to classical Chinese.  In 1000 BC the first book was produced.  By inventing writing so early in their history, the Chinese preserved a record of their history and learning. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

4. Magnetic Compass PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

5. As early as 500 BC, Chinese scientists had studied and learned much about magnetism in nature. For example, they knew that iron ore, called magnetite, tended to align itself in a North/South position. Scientists learned to "make magnets" by heating pieces of ore to red hot temperatures and then cooling the pieces in a North/South position. The original lacquered earth plate, dating to the 3rd century BC, is currently on display at the Museum of Chinese History. Later, the magnets were placed on bronze plates marked with directional bearings.  Compasses were first used in FengShui, the layout of buildings.  By 1000 AD, navigational compasses were widely used on Chinese ships, enabling them to navigate without stars in view.   The magnetic compass remains an essential navigational tool today. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

6. Movable Sails & Rudder PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

7. China has a very old seafaring tradition. Chinese ships had sailed to India as early as the Han Dynasty. By 100 AD,  Chinese shipbuilders invented the stern post rudder and watertight compartments for ship's hulls. By 200 AD, they used several masts and the redesigned the basic square sail with the fore-and-aft rig.  This allowed the ship to sail into the wind.   With these inventions, the Chinese trader and explorer Zheng Ho sailed as far as Africa between 1405 and 1433. Mysteriously, China did not follow up on these voyages. The Chinese destroyed their ocean going ships and halted further expeditions. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

8. Coal & Iron Refining PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

9. Iron was smelted in China by the 4th century BC, and steel was perfected by the 400's AD using coal as a high temperature fuel. By having good refractory clays for the construction of blast furnace walls, and the discovery of how to reduce the temperature at which iron melts by using phosphorus, the Chinese were able cast iron into ornamental and functional shapes.  This expertise allowed the production of pots and pans with thin walls. With the development of annealing, ploughshares, longer swords, and even buildings were eventually made of iron. In later centuries, the mass production of steel made industrial machinery possible. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

10. Great Wall PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

11. The building of the Great Wall of China, one of the legendary seven wonders of the world, began in 221 BC in an effort to keep Mongol invaders out.  In the 600's AD, the Sui Emperor Yang Di began a huge project of repairing the ancient wall.  The costs of rebuilding the wall were enormous.  The construction involved the forced labor of hundreds of thousands of people, many of whom died from the harsh working conditions and were buried in the wall itself.  Costs were also increased by the frequent robbery of supply wagons.  15,000 defense towers and forts were constructed along the walls.  It remains the largest structure ever built anywhere in the world, and is the only human made work on earth visible from orbit. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

12. Porcelain Sui Dynasty: 581 – 618 AD PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

13. It seems that porcelain was not a sudden invention, although some claim that Tao-Yue in the 600's AD was the legendary inventor of porcelain. He used so-called 'white clay' (kaolin) which he found along the Yangzte river where he was born. He added other types of clay to produce the first white porcelain, which he sold as 'artificial jade' in the capital Chang-an.  By around 900 AD, porcelain was perfected, incorporating the translucent minerals quartz and feldspar.Porcelain was much finer than other clay ceramics, so thin as to be translucent.  Its white color could be painted in many colors.  Porcelain was one of the most highly prized products from China, and in fact came to be called "china." PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

14. Harness for HorsesAge of Division; circa 220 – 581 AD PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

15. Throat harnesses have been used throughout the world to harness horses to carts and sleds. These harnesses press back on the neck of the horse thus limiting the full strength of the animal. In the late feudal period (4th Century BC) there is pictorial evidence (from the Chinese state of Chu) of a horse with a wooden chest yoke. By the late Han Dynasty the yoke was made from softer straps and was used throughout the country. By the 5Th century, the horse collar (pictured above), which allows the horse to push with its shoulders, was developed. This critical invention was introduced into Europe approximately by 970 and became widespread within 200 years. Because of the greater speed of horses over oxen, as well as greater endurance, agricultural output throughout Europe increased significantly. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

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17. Ship’s RudderHan Dynasty: circa 202 BC – 220 AD PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

18. Chinese naval developments occurred far earlier than similar western technology. The first recorded use of rudder technology in the West was in 1180. Chinese pottery models of sophisticated slung axial rudders (enabling the rudder to be lifted in shallow waters) dating from the 1st century have been found. Early rudder technology (c 100 AD) also included the easier to use balanced rudder (where part of the blade was in front of the steering post), first adopted by England in 1843 – some 1700 years later. In another naval development, fenestrated rudders were common on Chinese ships by the 13th century which were not introduced to the west until 1901. Fenestration is the adding of holes to the rudder where it does not affect the steering, yet make the rudder easy to turn. This innovation finally enabled European torpedo boats to use their rudders while traveling at high speed (about 30 knots). PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

19. Iron PlowsHan Dynasty: circa 202 BC – 220 AD PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

20. One of the major developments of the ancient Chinese agriculture was the use of the iron moldboard plows. Though probably first developed in the 4th century BC and promoted by the central government, they were popular and common by the Han Dynasty. (So I am using the more conservative date). A major invention was the adjustable strut which, by altering the distance of the blade and the beam, could precisely set the depth of the plow. This technology was not instituted into England and Holland until the 17th century, sparking an abundance of food which some experts say was a necessary prerequisite for the industrial revolution. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

21. The Seed DrillHan Dynasty: circa 202 BC – 220 AD PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

22. The Seed Drill is used to plant seeds into the soil at a uniform depth and covers it. Without this tool seeds are tossed by hand over the ground resulting in waste and inefficient, uneven growth. Chinese farmers were using seed drills as early as the 2nd Century BC. The first known European instance was a patent issued to CamilloTorello in 1566, but was not adopted by Europeans into general use until the mid 1800’s. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

23. Row PlantingFeudal Period – 6 Century BC PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

24. The Chinese started planting crops in rows sometime in the 6th century BC. This technique allows the crops to grow faster and stronger. It facilitates more efficient planting, watering, weeding and harvesting. There is also documentation that they realized that as the wind travels over rows of plants there is less damage. This obvious development was not instituted in the western world for another 2200 years. Master Lu wrote in the “Spring and Autumn Annals”: ‘If the crops are grown in rows they will mature rapidly because they will not interfere with each other’s growth. The horizontal rows must be well drawn, the vertical rows made with skill, for if the lines are straight the wind will pass gently through.’ This text was compiled around 240 BC. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

25. Deep DrillingHan Dynasty: circa 202 BC – 220 AD PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

26. By the first century BC the Chinese had developed the technology for deep drilling boreholes. Some of these reached depths of 4800 feet (about 1.5 km). They used technology that would be easily recognizable to a modern engineer and lay person alike. Derricks would rise as much as 180 feet above the borehole. They stacked rocks with center holes (tube or doughnut shaped) from the surface to the deep stone layer as a guide for their drills (similar to today’s guide tubes). With hemp ropes and bamboo cables reaching deep into the ground, they employed cast iron drills to reach the natural gas they used as a fuel to evaporate water from brine to produce salt. The natural gas was carried via bamboo pipes to where it was needed. There is also some evidence that the gas was used for light. While I could not find exactly when deep drilling was first used by the Europeans, I did not find any evidence prior to the early industrial revolution (mid 18th century). In the United States, the first recorded deep drill was in West Virginia in the 1820’s. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

27. Canals & Locks PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

28. Imperial China's construction of waterways to connect different parts of its vast territory produced some of the world's greatest water engineering projects.  One of the most impressive was the building of the Grand Canal.  Construction of the first Grand Canal began in the early 600's to connect the Yellow River (Hwang He) in the north with the Yangzi River (Chiang Jiang) in the south. The project lasted for many centuries as it was constantly enlarged and repaired.  Once the Grand Canal was in use, people could carry messages and ships could carry rice back and forth.  Canal locks were another innovation in the 10th century.  These allowed boats to go uphill and downhill, by raising or lowering the water level within the lock.  Click here to see how a lock works.  This invention allowed boats to travel farther inland.  Today locks are used in places like Niagara Falls and the Panama Canal. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

29. Roads & Relay Hostels PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

30. Roads and relay hostels, or inns, greatly improved communication and trade throughout the vast land of China.  By the late 700's, inns offered horses and food to travelers, and provided places for government officials to stay for the night during long journeys. The system of roads allowed government inspectors, tax collectors, and postal messengers to move long distances.  Messengers delivered mail across hundreds of miles.  Merchants could carry trade goods such as rice, tea, silk, and seafood without fear of bandits. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

31. Gunpowder PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

32. Around 200 AD, Chinese scientists discovered that an explosive mixture could be produced by combining sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate).  The explosive mixture, called huoyao, was used by the military in the 900's during the Tang Dynasty.  Imagine their enemy's surprise when the Chinese first demonstrated their newest invention.  New weapons were rapidly developed, including rockets that were launched from a bamboo tube. • The Chinese began experimenting with the gunpowder filled tubes. At some point, they attached bamboo tubes to arrows and launched them with bows. Soon they discovered that these gunpowder tubes could launch themselves just by the power produced from the escaping gas. The true rocket was born.  The date reporting the first use of true rockets was in 1232. At this time, the Chinese and the Mongols were at war with each other. During the battle of Kai-Keng, the Chinese repelled the Mongol invaders by a barrage of "arrows of flying fire." These fire arrows were a simple form of a solid propellant rocket. A tube, capped at one end, contained gunpowder. The other end was left open and the tube was attached to a long stick. When the powder was ignited, the rapid burning of the powder produced fire, smoke, and gas that escaped out the open end and produced a thrust. The stick acted as a simple guidance system that kept the rocket headed in one general direction as it flew through the air. It is not clear how effective these arrows of flying fire were as weapons of destruction, but their psychological effects on the Mongols must have been formidable.  Gunpowder changed the methods of war forever. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

33. Mechanical Clock PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

34. One of the greatest inventions of the medieval world was the mechanical clock.  The difficulty in inventing a mechanical clock was to figure out a way in which a wheel no bigger than a room could turn at the same speed as the Earth, but still be turning more or less continuously. If this could be accomplished, then the wheel became a mini Earth and could tell the time.  Yi Xing, a Buddhist monk, made the first model of a mechanical clock in 725 AD.  This clock operated by dripping water that powered a wheel which made one full revolution in 24 hours.  An iron and bronze system of wheels and gears made the clock turn.  This system caused the chiming of a bell on the hour.  Su Sung's great 'Cosmic Engine' of 1092 was 35 feet high. At the top was a power driven sphere for observing the positions of the stars.  The power for turning it was transmitted from the dripping water by a chain drive. A celestial globe inside the tower turned in synchronization with the sphere above.  It was two more centuries before the first mechanical clock was developed in Europe. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

35. Smallpox Inoculation PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

36. Inoculation works by introducing a weak form of a disease to stimulate the human body to fight off the disease.  Smallpox, a deadly virus characterized by skin blisters drying to crater-shaped scars, existed in Europe, Asia, and Africa.  The technique of inoculation was first publicly recognized when the son of Prime Minister Wang Dan (957-1017) died of smallpox.  Hoping to prevent the same thing from happening to other family members, Wang Dan summoned physicians from all over China.  A Daoist monk introduced the technique of inoculation to the physicians in the capital.  By the 16th century it was widely practiced against smallpox in China.  The technique was unknown in Europe until the 1800's, when it was introduced by Edward Jenner. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

37. Abacus PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

38. The Chinese developed the abacus, a counting device,  around 100 AD.  By the 1300's it was perfected and given the form it still has today.  The instrument consisted of a rectangular wooden frame with parallel rods.  Each rod holds beads as counters.  The rods are separated into upper and lower parts by a crossbar.  Each bead above the crosspiece is worth five units, and each below is worth one.  The rungs or rods from right to left indicate place value in powers of ten -- ones, tens, hundred, and so on.  With this instrument the Chinese could add, subtract, multiply and divide with remarkable speed.  The abacus became the basic calculating device in Asia, where it is still widely used. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

39. Spinning Wheel/SILK PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

40. Silk was first made by the Chinese about 4000 years ago. Silk thread is made from the cocoon of the silkworm moth, whose caterpillar eats the the leaves of the mulberry tree.  Silk spinners needed a method to deal with the tough, long silk threads. To meet the increasing demand for silk fabric, the Chinese developed the spinning wheel in 1035.  This simple circular machine, easily operated by one person, could wind fine fibers of silk into thread.  The invention used a wheel to stretch and align the fibers.  A drive belt made the wheels spin.  Italians who traveled to China during the Mongol dynasty brought the invention to Europe in the 14th century.Left: lady spinningRight: 2-man loom PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

41. Movable Type PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

42. The technique of printing with carved wood blocks appeared about the 7th century, early in the Tang dynasty. Block printing reached its golden age during the Song dynasty, in the years 960-1279, as the imperial patronage encouraged the publication of large numbers of books by the central and local governments. Movable type was first invented by Bi Sheng of the Song dynasty in the year 1045 AD. The invention of reusable, moveable type made books cheaper and more available.Europeans separately invented movable type in the 1400's.  Until the invention of computers and photocopying in the 20th century, all books were printed using movable type. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

43. Paper Making PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

44. The invention of paper greatly contributed to the spread and development of civilization. Before its invention, bones, tortoise shells, and bamboo slips were all used as writing surfaces, but as Chinese civilization developed they proved themselves unsuitable because of their bulk and weight. Hemp fiber and silk were used to make paper but the quality was far from satisfactory. Besides, these two materials could be better used for other purposes so it was not practical to make paper from them. Xue fu wuche is a Chinese idiom describing a learned man. The story behind it concerns a scholar named Hui Shi who lived during the Warring States Period. He needed five carts to carry his books when he traveled around teaching. Books at that time were made of wood or bamboo slips so they were heavy and occupied a lot of space. Reading at the time needed not only brainwork but also physical strength. In 105 A.D. CaiLun, a eunuch during the Eastern Han Dynasty, invented paper from worn fishnet, bark and cloth. These raw materials could be easily found at a much lower cost so large quantities of paper could be produced. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

45. The making technique was exported to Korea in 384 A.D. A Korean Monk then took this skill with him to Japan in 610 A.D. During a war between the Tang Dynasty and the Arab Empire, the Arabs captured some Tang soldiers and paper making workers. Thus, a paper factory was set up by the Arabs. In the 11th Century the skill was carried to India when Chinese monks journeyed there in search of Buddhist sutras. Through the Arabs, Africans and Europeans then mastered the skill. The first paper factory in Europe was set up in Spain. In the latter half of the 16th century, this skill was brought to America. By the 19th century, when paper factories were set up in Australia, paper making had spread to the whole world. CaiLun, also known as Tsai Lun, was listed in the book The 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Persons in History by Michael H. Hart. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

46. Paper Money PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

47. The Chinese invented paper money in the 9th century AD.  Its original name was 'flying money' because it was so light it could blow out of one's hand. As exchange certificates used by merchants, paper money was quickly adopted by the government for forwarding tax payments. In 1024, the Song government took over the printing of paper money and used it as a medium of exchange backed by deposited "cash" (a Chinese term for metal coins). The first Muslim bankers used a checking system by the 1200's, followed by Italian bankers in the 1400's.  Paper money is still the most common form of currency around the world.  PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

48. Tea PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

49. Tea has been so important in China that even the story of silk includes a probably anachronistic cup of it. Legend says silk was discovered when a cocoon fell from a mulberry bush into a cup of imperial tea. This is similar to the legend of the discovery of tea where an emperor (ShenNung (2737 B.C.)) drank a cup of water into which leaves from an overhanging Camellia bush had fallen. • Tea, no matter what country it comes from, is from the Camellia sinensis plant. It seems to have been a new beverage in the third century A.D., a time when it was still regarded with suspicion, much as the tomato was when it was first brought to Europe. • Today we refer to beverages as tea even though there is no real tea in them. (Purists call them tisanes.) In the early period, there was confusion, too, and the Chinese for tea was sometimes used to refer to other plants, according to Bodde. PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker

50. Toilet PaperSui Dynasty: 581 – 618 AD PPT Created by Dr. C. Walker