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Steel is made from iron, but it is less brittle than iron and easier to bend into different shapes.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.
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Porcelain is made by combining clay with quartz and feldspar. The mixture is then baked in a kiln. raft-people would paint pictures on the porcelain and made colored glazes to decorate the porcelain.
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The first Chinese compasses were pieces of a magnetic mineral
called lodestone. Because lodestone is magnetic, it is influenced by Earth’s magnetic poles so it will always point to the north. -
The Chinese devised a wheel that made one complete turn every 24 hours. Dripping water made the wheel turn.Every quarter hour, a drum would beat and every hour, a bell would chime.
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Gunpowder was accidentally discovered by alchemists who were looking for the secret to eternal life.
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Printer used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Famous artists drew the designs.
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Paper money was printed with wood blocks.
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Early flamethrowers contained gunpowder mixed with oil. The Chinese used them to spray enemies with a stream of fire.
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Rockets were powered by a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. At first, rockets were only used as fireworks, but then they were used as weapons.
