Name: Niña Rica B.

Cabantac October 12, 2020

Yr. & Section: BSOA-4A Subject: Foreign Language

Assignment #1

Top 20 Ancient Chinese Inventions

Through this 5,000 years’ timeline of Chinese History, you will discover the rich culture and historical
milestones that China has. This country has a unique and rich history and people of China are very proud
of it. For much of the last century, China has earned a reputation of being a copycat with low-quality
knockoffs. “Made in China” was not something to be proud of. Throughout China’s 5,000 years of
history, they have been known for some very interesting “first” and some truly revolutionary inventions.
China has been the source of many innovations, scientific discoveries and inventions. This includes the
Four Great Inventions: Papermaking, The Compass, Gunpowder, and Printing (both woodblock and
movable type), but the list doesn’t stop there. Here are the list (including two from the medieval period)
most famous Chinese inventions: Alcohol, Mechanical Clock, Tea Production, Silk, Umbrella,
Acupuncture, Iron Smelting, Porcelain, Earthquake Detector, Rocket, Bronze, The Kite, The Seed Drill,
Row Crop Farming, Toothbrush, and Paper Money.

I chose Ancient Chinese Invention “The Kite” because I was interested in how it was invented and where
they used it in their time. Here in the Philippines, the kite was just a toy when we were kids or even
adults. A kite is an object, usually used as a toy, which is flown in the air. It usually made of wood for the
frame covered with plastic bag, paper or cloth and has a long string attached which you hold while the
kite is flying.

Kites were very important to the history of China. The country has always been regarded as the origin of
kite making and kite flying. The kite developed around 3,000 years ago by ancient Chinese. The earliest
kites were made of wood, called Muyuan (wooden kite). In early times kites were mainly used for
military purposes such as sending a message, measuring distances, testing the wind and signaling. Over
time kite flying developed into playthings and kite flying is now enjoyed worldwide. The kite is believed
to have originated in China. Since its invention, there have been many adaptations to the kite by various
cultures around the world. The kite you probably flew as a kid looks a bit different to the original
Chinese kites and even the kites of modern China. A Chinese kite in ancient times would have used
simple materials such as wood and cloth. They were often made to resemble the shapes of birds.

Kites were invented in the early Warring States Period by Mozi and Lu Ban, two philosophers who came
after the teachings of Confucius. The kites were exclusive to China for many years before the knowledge
of how to make and use them advanced. The period saw many attacks from foreign powers, as well as
civil unrest. Kites played a role in providing military intelligence for the Chinese forces. Ultimately, with
Ancient China, the kite was an important signaling tool, and it was even used as a diversionary tool.
From distress signals, to cautionary tools, kites became the first “long distance” communicators that
allowed the military to organize their troops from afar. It is even used for maritime purposes.

Here is the picture of my DIY Ancient Chinese Kite that I chose for my
replica or model.
List of the Most Ancient Chinese Inventions and History

1. Paper Making

The invention of paper greatly helped the spread of

literature and literacy, making books more convenient
to use and cheaper. Paper was so highly valued in
ancient China that it was used to pay tribute and taxes
to the state during the Tang dynasty. The Tang also
imposed a color code on the use of paper, with white
paper being reserved for legal documents, yellow for
government purposes, and blue for communications.

Besides its use for writing and books, paper was used to
produce topographical and military maps from the Han dynasty onwards. Drawn to a reasonably
accurate scale, they included color-coding and symbols for local features and included specific areas of
enlarged scale. Other uses of paper included as packaging for delicate items such as medicine and as
wrapping paper, especially for parcels of tea.

Paper was widely used to make hats, stiffened it was used for armor, and thinned it could be used for
windows. There were paper screens, sheets, curtains, clothes, and, eventually, money.

2. Movable Type Printing

In the 11th century movable type (one piece of type for

each character) was invented. Movable type was never
widely used in China because whole-block printing was less
expensive, but when movable type reached Europe in the
15th century, it revolutionized the communication of ideas.
Movable type was first created by Bi Sheng, who used baked
clay, which was very fragile. The Yuan-dynasty official Wang
Zhen is credited with the introduction of wooden movable
type, a more durable option, around 1297. Cast-metal
movable type began to be used in Korea in the early 13th
century, and the first font is believed to have been cast
there in the 1230s.

The development of printing allowed Chinese officials to make important documents. It helped in
military terms and lots of others. Also during 930 to 940 the Chinese were depressed because of war
and poverty., so when they invented printing it made some of them happier because books could be
printed and read.

3. Gunpowder

Gunpowder was invented by Chinese Taoist alchemists

about 1000 A.D. when they tried to find a potion to gain
human immortality by mixing elemental sulfur, charcoal,
and saltpeter. It is generally believed that gunpowder
spread to Europe during the Mongol expansion of 1200-
1300 A.D. The interesting fact is that Chinese used this
discovery mainly for firecrackers while Europeans created
cannons and guns and dominated China in the mid-1800s.
Gunpowder is called huo yao, meaning flaming medicine.
Unlike paper and printing, the birth of gunpowder was
quite accidental. It was first invented inadvertently by alchemists while attempting to make an elixir of
immortality. It was a mixture of sulphur, saltpeter, and charcoal. In the 12th and 13th centuries,
gunpowder spread to the Arab countries, then Greece, other European countries, and finally all over the
world.

Gunpowder was a Chinese invention that revolutionized warfare. The Chinese used explosives on a wide
scale beginning in the tenth and eleventh centuries. The cannons, flamethrowers, and grenades that
they used in battle were quickly adopted by European forces for battles on land and at sea.
 4. Compass

The compass greatly improved a ship's ability to navigate

over long distances. It was not until the beginning of the
14th century that compass was introduced to Europe from
China. The original use of Ancient Chinese compasses was
for maintaining harmony and prosperity with one’s
environment and for telling the future. If your home or
business was placed in the right direction, then you would
have a good life including good health and much wealth.
Today, we know this practice as feng shui. If you wanted
to know the best time and location to get married or to
have a burial, then the fortune tellers would use a fortune telling board that included a lodestone to give
you the information you needed.

Additionally, the Ancient Chinese used the compass for navigation – to find their way home when
traveling. The use of the compass for travel also gave the advantage of being able to travel no matter
the weather condition. If clouds or fog masked the sun or the stars, you could still travel because the
compass would point you in the right direction.

5. Alcohol

Alcohol is known as Jiu in Chinese and is often used as a

spiritual offering to Heaven and the Earth or ancestors in
ancient China. Study shows that beer with an alcoholic
content of 4% to 5% was widely consumed in ancient
China and was even mentioned on oracle bone inscriptions
of the Shang Dynasty. Alcohol is also called the “Water of
History” because stories of liquor can have traced back to
almost every period in Chinese history. It is believed that
China has about 4,000 years of history. A legend said that
Yi Di, the wife of the first dynasty’s King Yu invented the
method to make alcohol.

In ancient China, since alcohol was regarded as a sacred liquid only when people made sacrificial
offerings to Heaven and the Earth or ancestors was it used. During the Tang dynasty, liquor was popular
and was highly praised by many famous poets. It was served as a designated offering for the Royal
Ancestral Temple during the Yuan Dynasty. After alcohol became an ordinary drink, many customs
concerning alcohol formed and evolved which had and have various relationships with Chinese daily life.

6. Mechanical Clock

The mechanical clock was invented in China, in 976 A.D. during the
Song Dynasty. Chan Ssu-Hsun built a clock using mercury. It was the
first working mechanical clock. The importance of mechanical clocks is
that they were made for telling time more accurately than water or
sun clocks. Mechanical clocks not only made timekeeping much more
precise, which was important for scientific purposes, but also
introduced it to the masses when centrally located clock towers
equipped with bells loudly struck the hour.

7. Tea Production

According to old Chinese legend, tea was first discovered by

Shennong, Chinese Father of Agriculture, around 2,737 BC.
In the Tang Dynasty tea became a popular drink enjoyed by
all social classes. The history of Chinese tea is a long and
gradual story of refinement.
Generations of growers and producers have perfected the Chinese way of manufacturing tea, and its
many unique regional variations.

Tea was originally consumed for its medicinal properties. Used as an herbal medicine the Chinese added
the leaves to their food to provide nutrients or as an antidote for poison. It is also known for its benefits
of aiding digestion, which is why Chinese prefer to drink tea after their meals and also aids in nervous
disorders. Another benefit of drinking tea is it helps to expunge nicotine from the bodies of smokers
faster.

8. Silk

Silk, one of the oldest fibers, originated in China as

early as 6,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of silk
was discovered at Yangshao culture site in Xiaxian
County, Shanxi Province, China where a silk cocoon
was found cut in half, dating back to between 4000
and 3000 BC. Chinese people mastered sophisticated
silk weaving tech and closely guarded secret, and the
West had to pay gold of the same weight for the silks.
In ancient times the silk was a very important item made in China and for many centuries businessmen
transported this precious item from China to the West, forming the famous Silk Road.

Silk is a thin, but strong fiber that silkworms produce when they are making their cocoons. It can be
woven into a very soft and smooth fabric. Silk fabric was invented in Ancient China and played an
important role in their culture and economy for thousands of years. Silk cloth was extremely valuable in
Ancient China. Wearing silk was an important status symbol. At first, only members of the royal family
were allowed to wear silk. Later, silk clothing was restricted to only the noble class. Merchants and
peasants were not allowed to wear silk. Silk was even used as money during some Ancient Chinese
dynasties.

9. Umbrella

The inventions of umbrella can be traced back as early as 3500 years

ago in China. Legend has it, Lu Ban, a Chinese carpenter and inventor
created the first umbrella. Inspired by children using lotus leaves as
rain shelter, he created umbrella by making a flexible framework
covered by a cloth. In Ancient China they invented the umbrella. The
umbrella was first invented in 3500 B.C. This Ancient Chinese
invention was used to keep them from soaking wet when it rained.
The Chinese used the umbrella to protect themselves from the sun
rays. This invention was made by bamboo and oil paper because oil repels water.

10. Acupuncture

The oldest Chinese medicine book “Neijing”, also known as “The Classic
of Internal Medicine of the Yellow Emperor”, shows that acupuncture
was widely used as a therapy in China much before the time it was
written. Besides, various kinds of acupuncture needles were discovered
in the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng who died around 200 B.C. This is a
further proof that acupuncture was already in use in China more than
two thousand years ago.

Acupuncture is an ancient Chinese system of medicine which involves

the practice of inserting fine needles into the skin. The history of
ancient acupuncture originated with the use of these stones, then slivers of animal bones were used.
Later still, bamboo needles were used for therapeutic purposes.
 11. Iron smelting

Archaeological evidence revealed that iron smelting

technology was developed in China as early as 5 th century BC
in the Zhou Dynasty. During The Spring & Autumn and
Warring States periods China went into a flourishing period
for iron smelting. In the Han Dynasty central government
monopolized the iron smelting, seeing remarkable
development. As far back as the Shang Dynasty the, Chinese
people began to learn to use iron. At that time, meteoritic
iron was used for the blades of luxury weapons, cast into
bronze handles which were sometimes inlaid with silver or precious stones. iron and steel smelting was
only used for farming tools and weapons in ancient China. However, overtime, iron and other metals
have been adapted to be used for just about anything technological. Not only this, but it can still be used
in various weapons and farming tools.

12. Porcelain

Porcelain is a great invention of ancient China. The earliest

porcelain emerged in Shang Dynasty and matured during the
Tang Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, porcelain production
technology reached an unprecedented height due to its focus
on shape and the tactile experiences of the glaze.

An important invention of the ancient Chinese people was

that of a fine, delicate material known as porcelain. It isn't
one of the most famous inventions to come out of ancient
China, such as gunpowder or printing, but porcelain was still
one of the main exports in Chinese history. Today, it is a popular souvenir for tourists and can be found
in many markets and specialty stores throughout China. There were many uses for the durable and
beautiful material known as porcelain. In the ancient world porcelain was a necessity. For everyday use,
it was used to create cups, plates, and other useful items.

13. Earthquake Detector

In 132 AD, Chinese astronomer Zhang Heng created a

seismometer, a device that detects the ground’s movement
during an earthquake. It couldn’t predict quakes but it did
show what direction they were coming from even when they
were hundreds of miles away. The instrument was said to
resemble a wine jar six feet in diameter, with eight dragons
positioned face down along the outside of the barrel,
marking the primary compass directions. In each dragon’s
mouth was a small bronze ball. Beneath the dragons sat eight bronze toads, with their broad mouths
gaping to receive the balls.

When the instrument sensed an incoming seismic wave, one of the balls would drop and the sound
would alert observers to the earthquake, giving a rough indication of the earthquake’s direction of
origin. The device is said to have been very accurate and could detect earthquakes from afar, and did
not rely on shaking or movement in the location where the instrument was positioned.

14. Rocket

China is hometown of rockets, ancient Chinese inventors

created rockets by applying counter-force produced by
ignited gunpowder. According to history, in 228 A.D. the Wei
State already used torches attached to arrows to guard
Chencang against the invading troops of the Shu State. Later
the Song Dynasty had adapted gunpowder to make rockets.
This kind of ancient rockets and improved ones were widely used in military and entertainment activities
in China.

China has always been hailed as the hometown of ancient rockets, which was made by ancient
scientists via applying the counterforce produced by ignited gunpowder.

An ancient rocket consisted of four parts: arrowhead, arrow barrel, arrow feather, and gunpowder tube.
The gunpowder tubes, which were mostly made from bamboo tubes or paperboard, were filled with
gunpowder, with one end closed and the other end open. A small hole was left for the blasting fuse.
When ignited, the gunpowder would burn inside the tube, producing a large amount of gas, which,
while shooting backwards at high speed, would produce enormous forward-propelling force. Despite the
fact that powder and rocket were first invented in China, the ancient rocketry failed to develop into
modern rocketry due to longtime neglect in science and technology. Consequently, powder and rocket
were only used in fireworks for centuries.

15. Bronze

The skill of produce bronze was mastered by ancient Chinese by 1700

B.C. The Shang Dynasty and Zhou dynasties brought China into the
Bronze Age and the making of bronze wares reached its peak in this
period. Bronze was mainly used to make weapons, bronze tools and
ritual vessels at that time. Compared to counterparts in other regions
of the world, the Chinese bronze wares stand out for their
inscriptions and delicate decorative patterns.

Bronze is a combination of 10% tin and 90% copper. Bronze weapons are much stronger than stone
weapons. The discovery of bronze changed a great many things. For one thing, miners and craftsmen
were needed to mine tin and copper, and to make bronze weapons. That meant farmers had to learn
how to produce more food than they needed because not everyone was farming. That meant weavers
and potters were needed to clothe the miners and craftsmen, and to provide pottery containers to the
farmers to use to store food. Most people were still farmers, but labor was getting organized.

16. The Kite

The kite was developed around 3,000 years ago by ancient

Chinese. The earliest kites were made of wood, called
Muyuan (wooden kite). In early times kites were mainly used
for military purposes such as sending a message, measuring
distances, testing the wind and signaling. Over time kite flying
developed into playthings and kite flying is now enjoyed
worldwide. A Chinese kite in ancient times would have used
simple materials such as wood and cloth. They were often
made to resemble the shapes of birds.

Mainly, they were used for military purposes. The first kites were what we today would call prototype
kites: they were made of light wood and cloth. They were designed to mimic a bird's natural flight. The
first Chinese kites were used for measuring distances, which was useful information for moving large
armies across difficult terrain. They were also used to calculate and record wind readings and provided a
unique form of communication similar to ship flags at sea.

17. The Seed Drill

The seed drill was invented in China in the 2nd century BCE and
introduced to Italy in the mid-16th century. First attributed to
Camillo Torello, it was patented by the Venetian Senate in 1566.
Multi-tube iron seed drills were invented by the Chinese in the
2nd century BCE. This multi-tube seed drill has been credited
with giving China an efficient food production system that
allowed it to support its large population for millennia.
The seed drill is a device that plants the seed into soil at a uniform depth and covers it. If without this
device farmer had to plant the seeds by hand, resulting in waste and uneven growth. According to
records, the Chinese using of seed drills can be dated back to the 2nd Century BC. The device made
farmers’ job easier and highly improved the agricultural output in China. The seed drill is a very popular
way to plant seeds, however, the original idea has been changed and fixed into a more productive seed
drill that can plant more than 50 ancients China’s achievements in agriculture and Irrigation displayed
the beginning of China ‘s inventions, that were created for the convenience of the people. This therefore
displayed the appropriateness of the seed drill and how the improvement of this farming technique also
provided a way to conserve seeds, as a higher percentage of crops could now develop, decreasing the
amount of resources being wasted.

18. Row Crop Farming

Row planting is what the Chinese invented to make crops like rice
and wheat easier to harvest. Row planting is where seeds are
placed in rows so that there is a walk way through the crops
instead of having a bunched up set of crops that is hard to get into
without damaging any of the harvest. In ancient Chinese time harvesting was not done b machines like
we have today, they would pick the wheat for example by hand so row planting helped them a lot with
their farming industry. The Chinese also relied on faring for their agriculture and row planting made
their harvesting of crops easier and faster. It was also more effective because if the crops were bunched
up then you might not get to all the plants but with row planting you can get to every plant.

19. Toothbrush

The bristle toothbrush was invented in 1498 by Chinese

who made toothbrushes with coarse horse hairs attached
to bone or bamboo handles. It was later brought to the
new world by Europeans. A Hygiene article in Discover
Magazine, September, 2007, attributed the invention of
the modern bristle toothbrush to the Chinese in the year
1498. This first true toothbrush was described as cattle-
bone handle with embedded Siberian pig hair bristles. The toothbrush seems to have its origins in the
chewing sticks of Babylonia and Egypt. A "chew stick" or siwak was a thin branch of fibrous wood with a
frayed end, usually fashioned from aromatic trees to freshen the mouth, along with cleaning it.

20. Paper Money

Paper money were first developed by the ancient Chinese,

who started using folding money at the end of the 8th or
beginning of the 9th century AD. The first known use of paper
money in China is reported from the Tang dynasty, but it was
during the Song dynasty that the practice became institution
zed and adopted as a governmental policy. The history of
paper money is interesting not only from the idea and technology of printing, but also from the
perspective of trading with a commodity that in itself has no intrinsic value. Clearly the issues of paper
currency must inspire confidence for trading something of worth for items of no specific worth, and with
the potential to be abused by the issuer as a way to increase the supply and control of items of value,
thus creating inflation.

For much of its history, China used gold, silver and silk for large sums, and bronze for everyday
transactions. The notion of using paper as money is almost as old as paper itself. The most famous
Chinese issuer of paper money was Kublai Khan, the Mongol who ruled the Chinese empire in the 13th
century. Kublai Khan established currency credibility by decreeing that his paper money must be
accepted by traders on pain of death. As further enforcement of his mandate, he confiscated all gold
and silver, even if it was brought in by foreign traders.