Chinese Inventions

By ruthanne.dougherty
  • 150

    Industry: Paper

    Industry: Paper
    The Chinese invented the art of papermaking by the second century. The earliest Chinese paper was most likely made from hemp and then the bark of the mulberry tree.
  • 150

    Industry: Porcelain

    Industry: Porcelain
    Porcelain is made by combining clay with the minerals quartz and feldspar. The mixture is baked in a kiln, or pottery oven, at very high temperatures. The resulting pottery is white, hard, and waterproof.
  • Period: 150 to Feb 17, 1400

    CE

  • 250

    Exploration and Travel: Compass

    Exploration and Travel: Compass
    The first Chinese compasses were pieces of a magnetic mineral called lodestone. Earth itself is like a giant magnet with north and south poles.
  • Feb 17, 650

    Industry: Printing

    Industry: Printing
    The Chinese invented a technique called woodblock
    printing. The printer first drew symbols on
    paper. Then glued the paper to a wooden block. When
    the glue was dry, the printer carved out the wood around
    the characters, leaving the characters raised on the wood.
  • Feb 17, 750

    Everyday Objects: Mechanical Clocks

    Everyday Objects: Mechanical Clocks
    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.
  • Feb 17, 850

    Military: Gun Powder

    Military: Gun Powder
    Chinese alchemists accidentally discovered gunpowder when trying to find a substance that would make humans live forever.
  • Feb 17, 850

    Everday Objects: Game Cards and Paper Money

    Everday Objects: Game Cards and Paper Money
    Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Famous artists drew the designs that appeared on the backs of the cards.
  • Feb 17, 950

    Industry- Steel

    Industry- 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.
  • Feb 17, 960

    Military: Rockets

    Military: Rockets
    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.