Chinese Discoveries & Inventions

By crossele
  • Period: 3000 BCE to Dec 31, 1400

    Chinese History

  • 250 BCE

    MAGNETIC COMPASS

    MAGNETIC COMPASS
    The magnetic compass is a magnetized needle that aligns itself with Earth’s magnetic poles so that one end points north and the other south. The Chinese were using this type of compass to help them navigate on long voyages. EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL
  • 200 BCE

    STEEL

    STEEL
    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. Later they learned that blowing air into molten, or melted, cast iron causes a chemical reaction that creates steel. Steel is a great deal stronger than iron. INDUSTRY
  • 50

    PORCELAIN

    PORCELAIN
    Porcelain is a fine pottery. Some historians think that the Chinese produced the first porcelain as early as the 1st century C.E. Porcelain is made up of combining clay and and the minerals quartz and feldspar. The resulting pottery is white, hard, and waterproof. INDUSTRY
  • 150

    PAPER

    PAPER
    The Chinese invented the art of paper making by the second century C.E. The earliest Chinese paper was
    probably made from hemp and then the bark of the mulberry tree. INDUSTRY
  • 450

    PADDLE WHEEL BOATS

    PADDLE WHEEL BOATS
    Paddle wheel boats were easy to maneuver. They allowed the Chinese to travel faster on rivers and lakes. They were powered by oxen, which made it hard for humans to direct them. EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL
  • Feb 13, 850

    GUNPOWDER

    GUNPOWDER
    Discovered accidentally by alchemists who were working with a substance called saltpeter. They were looking for something that would allow them to live forever. MILITARY TECHNOLOGY.
  • Feb 14, 950

    FLAME THROWERS

    FLAME THROWERS
    This is the first weapon that used gunpowder. Early flamethrowers contained gunpowder mixed with oil. The Chinese used them to spray enemies with a stream of fire. MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
  • Feb 14, 1130

    ROCKET TECHNOLOGY

    ROCKET TECHNOLOGY
    Rocket technology was developed in China during the Song dynasty. They were powered by a black powder that was made of saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur. At first they were only used for fireworks. Later on the Chinese started using them as weapons. MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
  • Feb 14, 1179

    CANAL LOCKS

    CANAL LOCKS
    There was a problem because the Chinese has to drag there boats up stone ramps for water to reach at a higher level. They solved it by developing a new type of canal lock. Now the canal locks helps the boat to travel. EXPLORATION AND TRAVEL