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Printing The invention of paper made another key
development possible: printing. In about the 7th century,
the Chinese invented a technique called woodblock
printing. the printer carved out the wood around
the characters, leaving the characters raised on the wood. -
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, so that despite its sturdiness it looks quite delicate and beautiful.
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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. -
Disease Prevention The Chinese also made great strides in medicine and disease prevention. They discovered how
to stop the spread of disease by using disinfectants and steam. Inoculations were used to protect individuals from
catching smallpox. -
Steel The Chinese first made steel, a very useful metal, before 200 B.C.E. Steel is made from iron, but it is less brittle than iron and easier to bend into different shapes.
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Improving Travel on Rivers, Lakes, Canals, and Bridges Within China, people often traveled by boat on rivers or
across lakes. An innovation of a vessel called a paddle wheel boat made this type of travel must faster. -
The Development of the Mechanical Clock The Chinese developed the first mechanical clock in about the 8th century. The new clock was more accurate than earlier timekeeping devices, such as sundials and hourglasses. The
Chinese devised a wheel that made one complete turn every 24 hours. -
Game Cards and Paper Money Game cards were invented in China in about the 9th century. Printers used
woodblock printing to make the cards from thick paper. -
Rocket technology was developed in China during the Song dynasty. Rockets were powered by
a black powder made of saltpeter, charcoal, and sulfur. -
Tea We know from written accounts that the Chinese have been drinking tea since at least 2700 B.C. For several
thousand years, tea—made by letting tea leaves steep in boiling water—was drunk mostly as medicine.
