Four Ancient Chinese Inventions

1. Four Ancient Chinese Inventions That Changed Western Civilization

2. Vocabulary Merchant: Someone whose job is to sell or trade things. Monk: Someone who is religious and doesn’t have many things

3. Gunpowder Gunpowder was discovered in the 800’s A.D. by Chinese monks trying to find a drink to give them immortality. They were mixing together different powders—charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate—and discovered that this new one made explosions. With gunpowder, the Chinese were able to make fireworks, rockets, bombs, cannons, and guns. It took over 400 years for the secret of gunpowder to reach Europe and the Middle East, changing the face of warfare forever.

4. Gunpowder Gunpowder was discovered in the 800’s A.D. by Chinese monks trying to find a drink to give them immortality. They were mixing together different powders—charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate—and discovered that this new one made explosions. With gunpowder, the Chinese were able to make fireworks, rockets, bombs, cannons, and guns. It took over 400 years for the secret of gunpowder to reach Europe and the Middle East, changing the face of warfare forever.

5. Paper The Chinese also invented what we know today as paper around 200 BC. As you already learned, the Egyptians created something paper-like from papyrus; the Europeans often used the dried skin of animals like sheep to write. A court official took old rags and plants, boiled them in water, then drained out the water. Out came paper! Toilet paper was already in use by the Chinese by 600 AD, although it was still too expensive for most people to use. While some things have changed, the basics of Chinese paper-making are still what we use today.

6. Printing Press The basic printing press was also invented by the Chinese over a thousand years ago. Before this people had to write out every single book. Because many books were decorated, it might take over a year to write a book. Also, many books were copied poorly, so by the 15th century in Europe, many passages in Roman & Greek writings, and in the Bible, were different from the originals.

7. Printing Press With the printing, however, the page would be carved out into wood, and then could be printed a thousand times very quickly and accurately (they even used it to print out playing cards and paper money). Because of this, books became much cheaper and more people learned to read. Hundreds of years later, the Chinese ideas of paper and printing spread to Europe. Finally, around 1440, the German Johannes Gutenberg created the first printing press with movable type, starting a literacy revolution that continues to this day.

8. Compass I see the Twin Stars over there. I know I need to go in that direction! The Chinese also invented the compass. For thousands of years, people all over the world had been able to tell directions partly from the sun, moon, and stars. But doing this wasn’t always accurate, and didn’t help if it was cloudy. The compass, however, allowed more accurate directions, regardless of the weather or time. Once the compass got to Europe in 1190, people like Christopher Columbus were able to sail much farther than before…and more importantly, find their way back.

9. How did these ideas get from China to Europe? The Silk Road The Silk Road brought materials and ideas back and forth between China and the Middle East & Europe. Merchants would bring silk, teas, and art along the 5000 mile road. More important were the ideas and inventions they brought to Arabia and Europe. Gunpowder, the compass, and the printing press all came from China through the Silk Road.

10. How The Silk Road Worked Very few people (Marco Polo being one of them) actually traveled the entire Silk Road. Most of the time, people traveled to a city along their way, sold to someone else for a higher price, and that person brought it to the next city, and so on. By the time the product got to Europe, it had traveled thousands of miles and cost hundreds of times more than it originally cost. Only the very wealthy in Europe could afford things from Asia. Over time, many Chinese ideas and inventions slowly made their way through the Muslim world to Europe

11. Quiz • What are four major things the Chinese invented? • What is the name of the famous road used to trade with China? • How did it work? • What is a merchant? • How did the printing press change civilization?