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We know from written accounts that the Chinese have been drinking tea since at least 2700 B.C. For several thousand years, tea—made by letting tea leaves steep in boiling water—was drunk mostly as medicine.Industry
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The Chinese first made steel, a very useful metal, before 200 B.C.E. Steel is made from iron, but it is less brittle than iron and easier to bend into different shapes.Industry
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Another Chinese invention is a type of fine pottery called porcelain. Some historians think that the Chinese produced the first porcelain as early as the 1st century C.E. Industry
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In the 11th century, during the Song dynasty, the Chinese invented movable type. (Europeans developed movable type independently in the 1400s.)
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The invention of paper made another key envelopment possible: printing. In about the 7th century, the Chinese invented a technique called woodblock printing. Industry
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The Chinese developed the first mechanical clock in about the 8th century. The new clock was more accurate than earlier timekeeping devices, such as sundials and hourglasses. Everyday Objects
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Chinese at alchemist accidentally discovered that it could be used to make an explosive powder. MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
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Game cards were invented in China in about the 9th century. Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Everyday Objects
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Rockets were powered by a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. At first, rockets were used only in fireworks. Military Technology
