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The earliest Chinese steel was made from cast iron. However, they learned that blowing into melted cast iron created a much stronger metal, creating steel. INDUSTRY
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Porcelain was made by combining clay with the minerals quartz and feldspar. The mixture is then baked in a kiln. Chinese porcelain became a prized item for trade. Hundreds of thousands of people worked to mass produce the delicate vases, plates, and bowls. 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. 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. EVERYDAY OBJECTS -
Chinese farmers cultivated tea. Around the 8th century, tea became very popular. Tea houses appear everywhere and books were written about tea. The tea demand soon expanded everywhere around the world. INDUSTRY
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Printers used woodblock printing to make the game cards from thick paper. Artists drew the designs that appeared on the backs of the cards. EVERYDAY OBJECTS
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Chinese alchemists were working with a mineral called saltpeter while trying to decipher a formula for eternal life. By accident, they discovered it could be used to form a chemical explosion. They later developed a formula for gunpowder. MILITARY TECHNOLOGY
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The Chinese had made the first weapon that used gunpowder: the flamethrower.To make the flamethrower, they used gunpowder mixed with oil. The chinese sprayed their enemies with a stream of fire.
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Like game cards, paper money was printed with wood blocks. By 1107, Song printers were using multiple wood blocks to print each bill. EVERYDAY OBJECTS
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Ancient Chinese rockets were made of a black powder that consisted of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. They were originally only used in fireworks, but eventually, they were used in battle. They even developed a two-stage rocket for their armies.The first stage propelled the rocket through the air and the second stage dropped arrows.
