Chinese Discoveries and Inventions Chapter 17 Chinese Discoveries and Inventions

17.1 Introduction Many Chinese discoveries & inventions took place in the Tang and Song dynasties. Chinese discoveries & inventions include advances in exploration & travel, industry, military technology, everyday objects, and disease prevention. Many Chinese ideas reached far beyond China.

17.2 Exploration and Travel Improving Travel by Sea Though both Chinese and Europeans developed a compass using lodestone, the Chinese improved this by using a needle rubbed with lodestone to make a compass that gave more accurate readings. The compass made sea travel safer because sailors could figure out directions without a landmark or point in the sky to steer by. The Chinese also made sea travel safer by improving boat construction. (Modern shipbuilders still use the technique the Chinese invented.)

Improving Travel on Rivers, Lakes, Canals, and Bridges A paddlewheel boat made water travel much faster. People, not oxen as in Rome, walked on treadmills which turned the paddlewheel. The Chinese improved the canal lock making it easier to use canals as connections between rivers. The segmental arch bridge is one of China’s most prized achievements and is used around the world.

17.3 Industry Papermaking – second century C.E. For more than 500 years, the Chinese were the only people in the world who knew the secret of papermaking. Knowledge of papermaking traveled to Japan and across Central Asia. It wasn't until the 1100s that Europeans learned this trade.

Printing Woodblock printing was invented in the 7th century. By the 8th century there was a woodblock printing industry in China. In the 10th century, the Chinese were printing books. In the 11th century, the Chinese invented movable type. (Europeans invented this in the 1400s.) This helped spread learning throughout China.

Tea The Chinese have been drinking tea since at least 2700 B.C. Tea was mostly drunk as medicine. By the 8th century C.E., tea had become a popular everyday beverage. Tea houses sprung up throughout China. Tea cultivation became a major industry. First tea plant seeds were brought to japan during China’s Tang Dynasty. Europeans became involved in tea farming and trade by the 1700s. Dutch traders brought tea seeds from China and japan to their own colonies in Indonesia. The Dutch and British competed in tea trade in the 13 American colonies. During the Boston Tea Party, colonists threw British tea into the Boston Harbor, which sparked the American Revolution. Tea rest is history…

Industry: Porcelain & Steel The Chinese first made steel before 200 B.C.E. In the 1800s, the mass production of steel was crucial to the Industrial revolution in the West (Europe & America). Porcelain is a type of pottery that dates back to the first century C.E. Became a major industry in China. Hundreds of thousands of people worked to mass-produce dishes, bowls, and vases. Chinese porcelain became a prized possession for trade. Europeans learned to make porcelain in the 1700s.

17.4 Military Technology: Gunpowder & Rockets Gunpowder was invented during the Tang dynasty in 850 C.E. By the 10th century, they had invented the first weapon that used gunpowder, the flamethrower. They created many other weapons between the 11th and 14th centuries. By the 13th century they had created bombs, and weapons similar to rifles and cannons. By the early 1300s, travelers had brought knowledge of gunpowder to Europe. This changed the way wars were fought and ultimately played a role in bringing feudalism to an end. Rocket technology was developed in China during the Song dynasty. At first, rockets were used only in fireworks. Later they were used as weapons. By the 1300s, rockets had spread into Europe. Rockets that are used to explore space today are based on principles discovered by the Chinese.

17.5 Everyday Objects: Clocks, Game Cards, & Paper Money The Chinese developed the first mechanical clock in the 8th century. They devised a wheel that made a complete turn every 24 hours. Dripping water made the wheel turn. Every quarter hour, drums would beat; every half hour a bell would chime. The sounds let people know what time it was. They improved the mechanical clock in 1092, during the Song dynasty. The Europeans developed mechanical clocks in the late 1200s. Game cards were invented in China in the 9th century. Paper money was invented by the Chinese in the late 8th or early 9th century.

17.6 Disease Prevention The Chinese once fought disease by burning a chemical that gave off a poisonous smoke. During the Song dynasty, a monk developed the idea of steaming the clothes of sick people. This was the basis of some techniques we use today. Around the 10th century, the Chinese discovered how to inoculate people against disease. This led to are modern day vaccines.