Chinese Inventions and Discoveries

By Alec Plante
  • Period: 3000 BCE to Dec 31, 1400

    Chinese History

  • 2700 BCE

    Tea

    Tea
    At first the Chinese used tea as a medicine, but by the 8th century people drank as a delicacy. Soon it also spread to Japan, Europe, and more places. Industry.
  • 850 BCE

    Gunpowder

    Gunpowder
    Chinese alchemist accidentally discovered when they were using saltpeter to try and find the secret to immortality. Military Technology.
  • 200 BCE

    Steel

    Steel
    The Chinese began making steel out of cast iron. They later found out that if they blow air on it a chemical reaction happens and it turns into steel. They used this to make special homes for the emperors and to make other inventions. Industry.
  • 100

    Paper

    Paper
    In China they first started making paper out hemp, then later they used Mulberry tree bark. For over 500 years they did not tell any other culture about this form of writing until about 1100 when the Europeans found out. Industry.
  • 200

    Compass

    Compass
    The compass was first made of a stone called lodestone that is very magnetic. So sailors would put the stone in water and watch point toward north and south. Exploration and Travel.
  • 400

    Paddleboat

    Paddleboat
    The Chinese used boats for hundreds of years to travel. When this was first made they made people on roller move the paddle. It was faster and less energy consuming. Exploration and Travel.
  • Feb 15, 618

    Bridges

    Bridges
    The Chinese had so many rivers, so they began to build more and more bridges out of steel and stones. Exploration and Travel.
  • Jan 1, 1100

    Flamethrower

    Flamethrower
    After the invention of gunpowder they came up with many ideas of how to use this invention, but this 1 of their promising inventions. It had gunpowder in the back that would be lit and pushed out of the chamber. Later oil would even be added to spit out and burn longer. Military Technology.
  • Jan 1, 1300

    Rocket Technology

    Rocket Technology
    Many years after the invention of Gunpowder they had not done much with it, but then they found a way to use it. They first made fire works that was pretty, but they wanted a new weapon to use and defend with. So they made rockets, these rockets had 2 stages. The first stage propelled it in the air and the second stage dropped airs from it through the air. It was truly was a step from swords and bows to guns and cannons. Military Technology.