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Otherwise known as the "south-pointing needle," the first version of the compass was invented by the Chinese in the third century B.C. The compass was perfected in the Song dynasty and used to find a direct path to spice markets in Java, then eventually to the Spice Islands in the Moluccas.
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This time period covers the events involved with Southernization in China.
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In 221, the Han dynasty crumbled, resulting in over 350 years of several dynasties ruling over China. Simultaneously, Buddhism became progressively vital, and Buddhist monasteries populated throughout China. This linked cultural exchange between India and China.
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In 581, the Sui dynasty reunited China. During this time period, Southern China transformed into the more prosperous area of China. The largest piece of evidence is the Grand Canal.
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Constructed in 610 CE, during the Sui dynasty, this canal's purpose was to transport southern rice to northern cities. The capital was located in Northern China at the time.
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The influence of Southernization continued during the Tang dynasty. Changes in processes included a reformation of mathematics, cultivation & trade of crops, and development of technology.
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An Indian monk recognized soils in China containing saltpeter and showed that purple flames arose when the soil was ignited. Saltpeter became to be an ingredient in gunpowder.
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In 690 CE, the Chinese added the advantages of the Indian numeral system into their own without, however, adopting the numerals until later.
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Printing was the first of two technological advances in the Tang, and was built in Buddhist monasteries. Subtropical Sichuan was one of the initial centers of the art.
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The creation of gunpowder is connected to the discovery of saltpeter soil, for it is a component of gunpowder. In 919 CE, gunpowder was used to light flamethrowers. In addition, there were ideas of utilizing flaming arrows, rockets, and catapulted bombs.
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The Song Dynasty was the second dynasty in which Southernization continued to affect China through reforming ideas and creating ideas. The change involved in the Song is the cultivation of crops.
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Champa rice received its name because it was delivered to China from a city called Champa. It was a crop that resisted droughts and ripened early, which allowed cultivation to be extended up well-watered hillsides, doubling the area of rice cultivation in China. Because of this, the entire Chinese population doubled.
