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Accidentally discovered when sand and ash melted in ancient kilns, glass was first used for beads and ornaments before evolving into one of humanity’s most versatile materials for art, tools, and science.
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According to legend, Empress Leizu discovered how to unravel silkworm cocoons to produce fine thread. Silk became China’s most valuable export, fueling trade along the Silk Road for centuries.
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Zhou dynasty metallurgists developed blast furnaces and early steelmaking techniques. These innovations produced tools, plows, and weapons that boosted agriculture, warfare, and infrastructure.
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Invented in the Han Dynasty using magnetized lodestone, the first Si Nan compass was used for feng shui and building alignment. By the Song era it guided ships, laying the foundation for global navigation.
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Cai Lun, a Han court official, made paper from mulberry bark, rags, and hemp. Lighter and cheaper than bamboo or silk, his invention revolutionized writing, recordkeeping, and education across the world.
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Astronomer Zhang Heng built the world’s first earthquake detector, a bronze jar that dropped a ball from a dragon’s mouth toward the quake’s direction. It showed China’s early mastery of mechanics and science.
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Early Tang printers carved whole pages on woodblocks, and later Bi Sheng invented movable type in 1040 CE. Printing made books affordable and spread literacy long before Europe’s press.
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Taoist alchemists seeking immortality mixed saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal—accidentally creating gunpowder. First used for fireworks, it soon powered weapons that changed warfare forever.
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During the Tang–Song Dynasties, Chinese potters perfected porcelain using kaolin clay and high-temperature kilns. Thin, strong, and elegant, it became a prized global export known simply as “china.”