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2700 BCE
Tea
For several thousand years, tea was made by letting leaves steep in boiling water. This Chinese invention was mostly drunk for medicine, but was also created as a plant. -
Period: 300 BCE to 1400
Chinese History
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200 BCE
Steel
The Chinese first made steel, a very useful metal, and is made from iron, but can shift into different things easier. -
50
Porcelain
Another Chinese invention from the 1st century is a type of fine pottery called porcelain. -
650
Printing Press
The invention of paper made the key event of printing possible. The Chinese use a technique called woodblock printing which was then covered with ink to be glued. -
850
Gunpowder
Gunpowder was accidentally invented by alchemist who were trying to fine the secret of eternal life. -
950
Magnetic Compass
The Chinese were using compasses to help them navigate on long voyages. This invention had a major impact on China's exploration industry and is used almost everywhere today. -
960
Paper
The Chinese invented the art of papermaking which was made from hemp and the bark of mulberry. -
1050
Movable Type
Movable type consists of separate blocks for each character. Printers made their type by carving characters out of clay and baking them. Eventually, all newspapers, books, and magazines were printed using a movable type. -
1300
Rocket Technology
Rocket technology was developed in China during the Song dynasty. The Chinese mostly used this invention for fireworks, but later used them as weapons.
