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In this chapter, you learned about Chinese inventions and discoveries between about 200 and 1400 C.E. The
influence of many of these advances spread far beyond China. Many Chinese inventions and discoveries
continue to affect our lives today. -
The people-powered paddlewheel boats allowed the Chinese to travel much faster on rivers and lakes. These boats were also much easier to maneuver than other types of watercraft. People still use this type of boat for recreational activities.
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Paper Money Game cards were invented in China in about the 9th century.Paper money was invented by the Chinese in the late 8th or early 9th century.
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Like the compass, other Chinese inventions and discoveries made it possible for people to do things better than they
had before.In the past, you might have been lost. But thanks to the
magnetic compass, you can find your way. Your compass
is a magnetized needle that aligns itself with Earth’s
magnetic poles so that one end points north and the other
south. -
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.
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Porcelain Another Chinese invention is a type of fine pottery called porcelain. Some historians think that the Chinese produced the first porcelain as early as the 1st century C.E. 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. However, light can pass through it. -
Paper The Chinese invented the art of paper making by the second century C.E. The earliest Chinese paper was probably made from hemp and then the bark of the mulberry tree. Later, the Chinese used rags.
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The invention of gunpowder one of the most significant inventions in history made these weapons possible. By the 10th century, the Chinese had made the first weapon that used gunpowder. In 850 C.E., during the Tang dynasty, alchemists recorded a formula for gunpowder.
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Game cards were invented in China in about the 9th century. Printers used woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. Famous artists drew the designs that appeared on the backs of the cards. Europeans were introduced to card games by the late 1300s. Today, card games are played throughout
the world. -
Movable type consists of separate blocks for each character. Printers made their type by carving characters out of clay and baking them. To print, they selected the characters they needed and placed them in an iron frame in the order they would
appear on the page.With the invention of movable type, printers no longer had to create a new set of woodblocks for each item they
printed.
