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Silk 3000 BC (30th Century)
According to the legend in China, a Chinese empress Leizu whom wife of the Yellow Emperor of China discovered silkworms spinning cocoons. It is believed that she collected some cocoons and dropped one into steaming water and saw that a soft and shiny thread started to detach from the cocoon itself. By the Han Dynasty, raw silk was made. This was used to make decorations and designs for clothing. -
Tea 2737 BC (28th century)
At first tea was not used as a drink but as a medicinal beverage, it is the world’s oldest beverage. Tea was invented accidentally when the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong was boiling water to make is sterilized when some dried leaves fell into the water, the Emperor was very interesting in the aroma that he decided to try the new brew and said that it had a delightful flavour and was also refreshing. Later on tea became a daily beverage in China. Later on other ingredients were added into the tea to -
The compass 206 BC (Early 3rd Century)
The magnetic compass was invented in the Qing Dynasty period in China. The compass was used to figure out the directions of north and South Pole. The compass is a form of a magnetic needle that floats in a bowl of water but the first compass was an iron fish which was pointing to the south that floats in a bowl of water. Before the compass was invented, navigations was done by using the moon, the pole star and the sun in order to find your way around. -
Chopsticks 11th century BC
Chopsticks are a utensil used to eat food with without the use of hands. The first pair of chopsticks made out of ivory was in the 11th century by a man named King Zhou of Shang. Chopsticks are two pieces of wood, bamboo or porcelain but the most recent ones are made of plastic, steel or silver are of equal length to be used to pick up food and to eat. One has to learn how to be able to learn using the chopsticks as it is controlling two sticks using the one hand. Chopsticks come in pairs and a -
Folding Umbrella 2nd century BC
During the Han Dynasty in China, a man named Wang Mang designed an umbrella with mechanical sliding levers also known as a collapsible umbrella for a ceremonial four-wheeled carriage. This umbrella was made of paper and oil in which the paper was soaked in the oil to make the umbrella translucent and waterproof. Designs were hand painted on the paper, the umbrella is mainly for show but can be used for the rain and the sun. -
Movable Sails and Rudder 100 AD
As early as the Han Dynasty, Chinese shipbuilders invented the watertight compartments and the stern post rudder for ship’s hulls. They made several masts square to allow the shit to sail into the wind. With an invention like this China is able to sail to other countries to trade supplies with others, an explorer named Zhen Ho sailed as far as Africa but afterwards no-one took up that voyage. -
Matches 577 AD (6th century)
A match is a stick in which on the end of it has a coating of material which when ignited produces a fire. A match was used in order to start fires for cooking, heating and so forth. The matches that were first made were made with sulfur and it can be used instantly when struck upon something in order to ignite it. -
Porcelain 608 AD (7th century)
A porcelain is a white translucent ceramic made out of white clay and other colours to from patterns. The first porcelain or true porcelain was made by a man named Tao-Yue during the 7th century. Along the Yangzte River also known as the yellow river he found some white clay and mixed it with other types of clays in which made the white porcelain. -
Gunpowder 850 AD (Mid 9th Century)
Gunpowder is a mixture of charcoal, saltpeter which is potassium nitrate and sulphur. During the Tang Dynasty in the 900’s, the military used this mixture which is called huoyao. From then on weapons were built using gunpowder as the source such as rockets made from bamboo. At the time of successfully building a bamboo rocket the Chinese and the Mongol were at war with one another, they won by creating a tube filled with gunpowder which would be attached to an arrow and fired at. Gunpowder chang -
Fireworks 960 AD (9th century)
A firework is a device in which contains gunpowder and other chemicals in which it causes an explosion when ignited, it is typically used during celebrations and festivals. During the Song Dynasty, a man named Lin Tian who is a Chinese monk invented fireworks. The gunpowder and other chemicals were stocked in bamboo casings and then were shot up into the sky during celebrations such as New Years to prevent evil spirits for coming as China believes in superstitions.
