-
For several thousand years, tea made by letting tea leaves steep in boiling water was drunk mostly as medicine.
-
Chinese compasses were pieces of a magnetic mineral
called lodestone. Europeans also developed a compass using lodestone.They had learned that rubbing a needle with lodestone made the needle act in the same way as the lodestone. However, needle in a compass gave a more accurate reading than a piece of lodestone. -
-
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. -
Porcelain is beautiful pottery that is sturdy but looks delicate. Porcelain dinnerware is still called China.
-
As you push your paddle through the water, the boat moves
forward. In the 5th century, the Chinese adapted this idea by arranging a series of paddles in a wheel. People walked
on a treadmill to turn the paddlewheel, which in turn moved through the water, moving the boat forward. -
The Chinese invented a technique called woodblock printing. The printer first drew characters (symbols) on
paper. Then glued the paper to a wooden block. Then printer carved out the wood around the characters. -
The Chinese developed the first mechanical clock. The new clock was more accurate than earlier timekeeping devices, such as sundials and hourglasses. The Chinese devised a wheel that made one complete turn every 24 hours. Dripping water made the wheel turn. Every quarter hour, drums would beat; and every hour, a bell would chime. The sounds let people know what time it was.
-
Chinese alchemists accidentally made gunpowder when they were looking for they answer to eternal life.
-
Rocket technology was developed in China during the Song dynasty. Rockets were powered by a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. At first, rockets were used only in fireworks. Later, the Chinese used them as weapons. They even developed a two-stage rocket for their armies.
