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The Chinese created the first compass in the 3rd century. It was made of lodestone, since it is magnetic, it is atracted to the poles.
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Chinese were the only people in the world who knew the secret to paper making. The oldest Chinese paper was made from the bark of a mulberry tree.
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The Chinese adapted this idea by arranging a series of paddles in a wheel. People walked on a treadmill to turn the paddle wheel, which in turn moved through the water, moving the boat forward.
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Another way the Chinese improved transportation was by developing a new type of canal lock, during the Song dynasty. The Chinese used canals extensively to connect the many rivers.
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The printer drew character (symbols) on paper.Then, the paper would be glued to a wooden block.
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Tea, made by letting tea leaves steep in boiling water, was drunk mostly as medicine. Tea was made thousands of years ago but it was most popular around this time.
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Chinese scientists accidentally discovered gunpowder when looking for eternal life.
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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.
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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. Later, the Chinese used them as weapons.
