An incredible story of Chinese inventions

Have you ever wondered how many useful inventions the Chinese made for the development of our civilization? This great country in the past, in the present, and who knows what will happen in the future ...

Acupuncture treatment Is a discipline derived from traditional Chinese medicine that also includes massage, stretching and breathing exercises, and the use of herbal medicines, exorcism, and magic. The earliest source of acupuncture theory is Huang Di Nei Jing (The Secret Book of the Yellow Emperor), the oldest part of which dates from the second century BC, the Han Dynasty. The authors of the book viewed the human body as a microcosmic system and believed that the role of the doctor is to maintain the balance of harmony of the body, both inside and with the external environment.

Silk
The Chinese knew how to produce silk by at least 1300 BC, but it did not begin to be exported to Europe until the second century BC, and it wasn't until around 550 AD that the secret of silk making became known in the West when monks who traveled to China brought silkworm eggs.
China sold silk to the Roman Empire, and then to Byzantium. In return, he received wool, glass and asbestos. In the first century AD, thanks to the silk trade, the two largest empires, Rome and China, were closely linked. After all, it is known that Roman women of fashion preferred to wear Chinese silk. And so the overland trade route between China and the Mediterranean has been called the Silk Road.

Modern umbrella
The first practical umbrella, invented in China during the Wei Dynasty (AD 386-532). It was designed immediately to be protected from rain and sun. Soon after the invention, the umbrella took on a more symbolic meaning as a ceremonial decoration. He became the privilege of the Emperor, whose task was to protect the "son of heaven" not only from the sun and rain, but also from "evil spirits."

Card game
The first mentions of the game of cards in the East are found in the 10th century. More specifically, we are talking about the Chinese dictionary Ching Jie Tung and the invention of cards in China in 1120. There are quite convincing arguments that the homeland of gamblers is still "heavenly". True, the cards were not made of paper, but from plates made of ivory and wood with painted pictures.

Mathematical place for zero.
It is generally accepted that the Chinese took the first step in developing the concept of zero, necessary in order to perform even the simplest of mathematical calculations. As early as the 4th century, the Chinese began to leave blank space for the null character, used in conjunction with traditional Chinese account characters.

Porcelain
By the time Europe began to attempt to unravel the mystery of porcelain in 1709, Chinese artisans had already been molding porcelain cups to suit every taste for over a thousand years. Porcelain is thought to have originated in the Shang and Zhou periods. And this is about 3000 years ago. It is known that the recipe for the production of porcelain was a state secret, for the disclosure of which the death penalty was imposed. Jingdezhen Township (Dingzhou) Porcelain manufacturing center in 1004 AD closed from everyone at night. Armed detachments walked along the street, and detained everyone who did not know the password.
The main components of the secret of porcelain production were:
1. The composition of the clay (powder "porcelain stone" (pe-tun-tse) and kaolin)
2. Cooking technology (crushing stone, soaking, maturing and, of course, firing)
3. The secret of glaze production (cobalt and hematite)

Fine Chinese porcelain, even now after several centuries, looks like new.

Fan
The Chinese started making some kind of ventilators about 5,000 years ago. There are many examples of the first Chinese fans covered with beautiful designs.

Marine Discovery
China had one of the most powerful fleets in the ancient world. The travel horizon of the Chinese was extremely wide. The Cape of Good Hope, Australia, trade with Africa, and even possibly a visit to America - all these are the achievements of Chinese sailors. In addition, ancient Chinese sailors invented a rudder for a ship and watertight compartments. They are also credited with introducing, in addition to the main square sail, bow and sails with the ability to float under acute angle to the wind.

Dominoes
The invention is almost 1,000 years old. The ancient Chinese used dominoes to predict the future.

Acrobatics

More than
2,000 years ago in China.

Bell
Invented in China more than 3,000 years ago.
The very first bells were made of bronze.

Tea
Tea drinking began in China and spread throughout the world. Whether the country calls the drink "Tea" (or some other variations) or "tea" as in Russia depends on the route by which the tea reached the consumer. The sea route began in the Fujian region on the coast of China, where the word for drink in the Fujian dialect is "te." The overland route to the north carries its name for the drink "cha". Even today in northern England, people often speak of “having a cup of cha,” although the more common word in England is “Tea”.

Paper
The first paper was invented in China around 105 BC. Later it became widespread in Turkestan. Central Asia, the Arab world (c 751 AD), Syria, Egypt, Morocco, Spain (c 1150 AD), southern France, and the rest of Europe.

Seal
The Chinese invented the printing unit to reproduce the Confucian classics. The print unit was often made of stone and had moving parts. Europe learned about printing from China and did not spend much effort to "reinvent the wheel".
Perhaps the source of the spread of printing from China is the technology of the production of playing cards, or paper money, first printed in China in the tenth century AD and later introduced in Europe.

Hot air cylinders.
Chinese paper lanterns have been used in China for centuries. The invention of paper and these flying lanterns roughly coincides - the second century BC.

Powder
Gunpowder has been invented in China since 1000 AD. and its probable spread in Europe occurred during the Mongol invasion of 1200-1300 AD, but these dates are quite controversial. The first use of gunpowder in Europe was recorded in 1313. The Europeans used gunpowder for guns, while the Chinese used it primarily for fireworks. Despite this early knowledge of explosives and their use, China did not pursue the goal of developing weapons. Maybe that's why Europeans were able to dominate China until the 19th century.

Compass
Historians believe that the Chinese invented the magnetic compass and have been using it for movement since 1100 AD. Arab traders sailing to China probably took over chinese method seafaring and returned to the West with this invention.

Blast furnace
By at least the 4th century, the Chinese had already developed blast furnaces to extract pig iron from iron ore. This was 1200 years before the first blast furnace was discovered in Europe.

Alchemy
Taoists who were looking for the elixir of life were forced to experiment with big amount mineral. This Chinese practice spread first to the Arab world and then to Europe. Chinese alchemy predates the alchemy of Egypt in Alexandria and other cities by about two centuries.

Public service
Examinations for civil service were introduced in both France and England in the 1800s, apparently influenced by Chinese experience nearly two thousand years earlier, in 154 BC.

Grain storage
Henry A. Wallace, US Secretary of Agriculture from 1933 to 1940, introduced government storage of surplus grain after defending a Chinese student's thesis on Confucian economic policy at Columbia University. Wallace adapted the Confucian notion of government grain purchases to anticipate times of scarcity and overproduction due to agricultural mechanization resulting in lower agricultural prices.

Heavy plow
In China, in the second century A.D. the method of deep plowing became widespread. The new plows were made from ductile iron. They had a new design, with a center rib ending at a sharp point to cut the soil and do the blade to the side to reduce stress. In Europe, a new device appeared in Holland in the 17th century.

Paper money
China, ninth century AD. Their first name was "flying money" because they were extremely light compared to coins. Like the "exchange certificates" used by merchants, paper money was quickly adopted by the government to speed up tax payments. Real paper money, used as a means of payment, came into use in the tenth century. The first Western paper money was issued by Sweden in 1661, in the USA it happened in 1690, in France in 1720, in England in 1797, and in Germany only in 1806.

Propeller
By the fourth century AD, one of China's favorite toys was the "bamboo dragonfly." The ancestor of the first helicopters was a simple axle with a string around it, and with the shoulder blades at an angle. If you pull on the string of the axle, torque is transmitted and the dragonfly soars up. In 1809, Sir George Cayley, the father of modern aeronautics, studied the Chinese helicopter toy. In China, it was only a toy, but one thousand four hundred years later in the West, it became one of the main elements of modern aeronautics.

Suspension bridges
Chinese suspension bridges using iron chains were already in use 1400 years before Europeans.

Seismograph
China, second century AD. In the "celestial" there have always been problems with earthquakes. The seismograph was developed by the remarkable scientist, mathematician, and inventor Chang Heng (whose work also shows that he foresaw the shape of the earth as a sphere with nine continents and introduced an intersecting grid of latitude and longitude). His invention was noted in the protocols of the later Han Dynasty in 132 AD. Modern seismographs were developed in 1848.

Matches
China, 6th century AD. The first version of matches was invented in 577 AD by Chinese women during a military siege. Unable to obtain tinder for fire during a siege to prepare food and keep warm, they made the first matches from small pine sticks soaked in sulfur. There are no examples of matches in Europe before 1530.

Kite
China, 5th / 4th century BC Two masters, Kangshu Peng, who made bird-shaped kites that could fly for three days, and Mo Ti (who was said to have built a special kite for three years), have been known in Chinese texts since the fifth century BC. NS. Kites were used in military affairs in 1232 for transmitting messages. They were also used for fishing and equipped with a whistle device during flight. In Europe, the kite is mentioned in a popular book of miracles and tricks in 1589.

Ice cream
About 4,000 years ago, the Chinese came up with the idea of ​​ice cream by combining rice, milk, spices, and snow.

Plant life
Some of the most popular fruits in the West - peaches, apricots, and citrus fruits - come from China, as do some of a wide variety of flowers, including chrysanthemums.

The list of Chinese inventions goes on, for example, toothbrushes, looms, water clocks, wheelbarrow, decimal system, blood circulation, pure alcohol, rockets, ketchup, saddle, sunglasses, bronze, cast iron and steel, and much more.
Does it impress you? Me yes.

Four great inventions of ancient China - this is how the famous researcher of Chinese culture Joseph Needham dubbed the paper, printing, gunpowder and compass invented in the Middle Ages in the book of the same name. It was these discoveries that contributed to the fact that many areas of culture and arts, previously available only to the rich, became the property of the broad masses. The inventions of ancient China made long-distance travel possible, which made it possible to discover new lands. So, let's take a look at each of them in chronological order.

Ancient China Invention # 1 - Paper

The first great invention of ancient China is considered to be paper. According to the Chinese chronicles of the Eastern Han Dynasty, invented paper Han dynasty court eunuch - Tsai Long in 105 AD

In ancient times in China, before the advent of paper, bamboo strips rolled into scrolls, silk scrolls, wooden and clay tablets, etc. were used for writing. The most ancient Chinese texts or "jiaguwen" were found on turtle shells, which date back to the 2nd millennium BC. NS. (Shang dynasty).

In the 3rd century, paper was already widely used for writing instead of more expensive traditional materials... The paper-making technology developed by Tsai Lun was as follows: a boiling mixture of hemp, mulberry bark, old fishing nets and fabrics was turned into a pulp, after which it was ground to a paste-like homogeneous state and mixed with water. A sieve in a wooden frame made of cane was immersed in the mixture, the mass was scooped out with a sieve and shaken to make the liquid glass. At the same time, a thin and even layer of fibrous mass was formed in the sieve.

This mass was then thrown onto smooth boards. Planks with castings were placed one on top of the other. They tied the stack and put the load on top. Then the sheets hardened and strengthened under the press were removed from the boards and dried. A paper sheet made using this technology turned out to be light, even, durable, less yellow and more convenient for writing.

Ancient China's Invention # 2 - Typography

The emergence of paper, in turn, led to the emergence of book printing. The oldest known example of a seal with wooden planks Is a Sanskrit sutra printed on hemp paper between about 650 and 670 A.D. However, the Diamond Sutra, made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), is believed to be the first printed book with a standard size. It consists of scrolls 5.18 m long. According to the scholar of traditional Chinese culture Joseph Needham, the printing methods used in the calligraphy of the Diamond Sutra are much superior in perfection and sophistication to the miniature sutra previously printed.

Typesetting fonts: Statesman and Chinese polymath Shen Ko (1031-1095) first outlined a method of printing using typesetting in his work "Notes on the Stream of Dreams" in 1088, attributing this innovation to an unknown master Bi Sheng. Shen Ko described the baked clay typeface production process, printing process and typesetting process.

Binding Technique: The advent of printing in the ninth century substantially changed the technique of binding. Towards the end of the Tang era, the book was transformed from rolled scrolls of paper into a stack of sheets, reminiscent of a modern brochure. Subsequently, during the Song dynasty (960-1279), the sheets began to be bent in the center, making a "butterfly" type dressing, which made the book look modern. The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) introduced a spine made of stiff paper, and later, during the Ming Dynasty, the sheets were stitched with threads.

Typography in China has greatly contributed to the preservation of a rich culture that has developed over the centuries.

Ancient China Invention # 3 - Gunpowder

Gunpowder is believed to have been developed in China in the 10th century. Initially, it was used as a filling in incendiary projectiles, and later explosive powder projectiles were invented. Gunpowder barrel weapons, according to Chinese chronicles, were first used in the battles of 1132. It was a long bamboo tube where gunpowder was placed and then set on fire. This "flamethrower" inflicted severe burns on the enemy.

A century later, in 1259, the first bullet-firing gun was invented — a thick bamboo tube that held a charge of gunpowder and a bullet.

Later, at the turn of the 13-14 centuries, metal cannons loaded with stone cannonballs spread in the Celestial Empire.

Inventions of Ancient China: the earliest artistic depiction of gunpowder weapons, the era of the five dynasties and ten kingdoms (907-960 AD). The painting depicts how Mara tries in vain to seduce the Buddha: in the upper part, the demons threaten the Buddha with fire

In addition to military affairs, gunpowder was actively used in everyday life. So, gunpowder was considered a good disinfectant for the treatment of ulcers and wounds, during epidemics, and it was also used to bait harmful insects.

However, perhaps the most "striking" invention, which appeared thanks to the creation of gunpowder, are fireworks. In the Celestial Empire, they were of particular importance. According to ancient beliefs, evil spirits are greatly afraid of bright light and loud sound. Therefore, since ancient times, on the New chinese year there was a tradition in the courtyards to make bonfires from bamboo, which hissed in the fire and burst with a bang. And the invention of gunpowder charges undoubtedly frightened the "evil spirits" in earnest - after all, in terms of the power of sound and light, they significantly exceeded old way... Later, Chinese craftsmen began to create multi-colored fireworks by adding various substances to gunpowder.

Today fireworks have become an indispensable attribute of New Year's celebrations in almost all countries of the world.

Ancient China Invention # 4 - Compass

The first prototype of the compass is believed to have originated during the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), when the Chinese began to use magnetic iron ore, oriented north-south. True, it was used not for navigation, but for fortune telling. In the ancient text "Lunheng", written in the 1st century AD, in chapter 52, the ancient compass is described as follows: "This instrument resembles a spoon, and if you put it on a plate, its handle will point to the south."

The description of a magnetic compass for determining the cardinal points was first set forth in the Chinese manuscript "Wujing Zongyao" 1044. The compass worked on the principle of remanent magnetization from heated steel or iron blanks, which were cast in the shape of a fish. The latter were placed in a bowl of water, and weak magnetic forces appeared as a result of induction and remanence. The manuscript mentions that this device used as a course indicator paired with a mechanical "chariot that points to the south."

A more perfect design of the compass was proposed by the already mentioned Chinese scientist Shen Ko. In his "Notes on the Stream of Dreams" (1088), he described in detail the magnetic declination, that is, the deviation from the direction to true north, and the device of a magnetic compass with a needle. The use of a compass for navigation was first proposed by Zhu Yu in the book "Table Conversations in Ningzhou" (1119).

For your information:

In addition to the four great inventions of ancient China, the craftsmen of the Celestial Empire gave our civilization the following benefits: Chinese horoscope, drum, bell, crossbow, violin erhu, gong, martial arts "wushu", health qigong gymnastics, fork, noodles, steamer, chopsticks, tea , soy cheese tofu, silk, paper money, varnish, bristle toothbrush, toilet paper, kite, gas bottle, the board game Go, playing cards, porcelain and more.

Great inventions in China make our lives easier every day... China is home to some of the most significant inventions of human civilization, including 4 (four) great inventions of ancient China: paper, compass, gunpowder and printing.

What else did the Chinese invent:

• Original technologies in the field of mechanics, hydraulics,
• mathematics as applied to the measurement of time,
• inventions in metallurgy,
• achievements in astronomy,
• technologies in agriculture,
• design of mechanisms,
• music theory,
• art,
• sailing
• warfare.

The most ancient period of Chinese civilization is considered the era of the existence of the Shang state, a slave country in the Yellow River valley. Already in this era, ideographic writing was discovered, which, through a long improvement, turned into hieroglyphic calligraphy, and a monthly calendar was also drawn up in basic outline.

Chinese culture has made a huge contribution to world culture.At the turn of the millennium, paper and ink were invented for writing. Also, at about the same time, writing was created in China. Rapid cultural and technical growth in this country begins just with the arrival of writing.

Today it is the property of global culture, like any other national culture. Inviting millions of tourists every year, this country willingly shares its cultural attractions with them, talking about its rich past and offering many opportunities for travel.

The inventions of ancient China, which had a great influence on subsequent inventions around the world, in the modern world we take for granted.

Optical fiber wires deliver huge number information at the speed of light to anywhere in the world. You can get into your car and use your voice to tell your GPS system the direction of travel. We are very comfortable in the 21st century.

Advances and inventions have accelerated human progress so much that everyone who follows it seems to have built on the foundation laid by the very first inventions.
Perhaps no other ancient culture has contributed as much to progress as the Chinese. Below are the greatest inventions ancient China.

Invention of papermaking technology in China

It is still not entirely clear who was the first to come up with the idea of ​​transferring thoughts to paper, converting them into written speech. To this day, there are fluctuations between the Sumerians in Mesopotamia, the Harappans who lived in the territory of modern Afghanistan and the Kemites in Egypt.

However, it is known that the first languages ​​appeared about 5000 years ago. One could even say that they appeared earlier, if we mean their artistic expression, such as cave paintings. As soon as languages ​​began to develop, people began to write in everything that could persist for a relatively long period of time. Clay tablets, bamboo, papyrus, stone are just a small part of the surfaces on which ancient people wrote.

The situation changed dramatically after a Chinese named Cai Lun invented the prototype of modern paper. Which in the future conquered the whole World.

Artifacts such as ancient padding and wrapping paper dating back to the 2nd century BCE have been found. BC. The oldest piece of paper is a map from Fanmatan near Tianshui.

In the III century. paper was already widely used for writing instead of more expensive traditional materials. The papermaking technology developed by Cai Lun was as follows:

• a boiling mixture of hemp, mulberry bark, old fishing nets and fabrics was turned into a pulp, after which it was ground to a paste-like homogeneous state and mixed with water. A sieve in a wooden frame made of cane was immersed in the mixture, the mass was scooped out with a sieve and shaken to make the liquid glass. At the same time, a thin and even layer of fibrous mass was formed in the sieve.
• This mass was then thrown onto smooth boards. Planks with castings were placed one on top of the other. They tied the stack and put the load on top. Then the sheets hardened and strengthened under the press were removed from the boards and dried. A paper sheet made using this technology turned out to be light, even, durable, less yellow and more convenient for writing.

Huiji paper banknote printed in 1160

Their origins date back to merchant receipts during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), which merchants and traders preferred to avoid having to deal with large quantities of copper coins in large commercial transactions.

During the era of the Song Empire (960-1279), the central government used this system to monopolize the production of salt, as well as due to the shortage of copper: many mines closed, a huge outflow of copper money from the empire took place in Japan, Southeast Asia, Western Xia and Liao. This prompted the Song Empire at the beginning of the 12th century, along with copper, to issue state paper money in order to alleviate the situation of the state mint and reduce the cost of copper.

At the beginning of the 11th century, the government authorized sixteen private banks in Sichuan to print banknotes, but in 1023 it confiscated these businesses and created an agency to supervise the production of banknotes.... The first paper money had a limited circulation area and was not supposed to be used outside of it, but as soon as they received a guarantee in gold and silver from state reserves, the government initiated the issuance of national banknotes. This happened between 1265 and 1274. The concurrent state of the Jin Dynasty has also been printing paper notes since at least 1214.

The invention of book printing in China

The invention of printing and printing presses in China was only a matter of time. Since the production of paper has grown every day. The advent of book printing in China has a long history.

Since ancient times, China has used stamps and seals that prove identity. state person or a master. Even today, a personal seal will replace the signature of the owner in China, and carving seals is not only a craft, but also a sophisticated art.

It is known that already in the Han era, wooden "seals of the gods" were widespread with spells carved into them in a mirrored inverted image. Such seals were the immediate predecessors of the boards from which books began to be printed.

The first mentions of the printing of texts date back to the 7th century. The oldest known examples of printed books date from the first half of the 8th century. The widespread distribution of printed books falls on the reign of the Sunn dynasty (X-XIII centuries). The lack of government censorship of books favored the development of the book market. By the 13th century, only two provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian operated over a hundred family publishing houses.

The oldest known example of wood board printing is a Sanskrit sutra printed on hemp paper between about 650 and 670 AD. AD However, the first printed book with a standard size is believed to be made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), the Diamond Sutra. It consists of scrolls 5.18 m long.

Typography gave impetus to the development of type and weaving.

Typesetting fonts

The statesman and polymath of China Shen Ko (1031-1095) first laid out the method of printing using typesetting in his work"Notes on the stream of dreams" in 1088, attributing this innovation to an unknown master Bi Sheng. Shen Ko described the baked clay typeface production process, printing process and typesetting process.

Bookbinding technique

The advent of printing in the ninth century significantly changed the technique of weaving.... Towards the end of the Tang era, the book was transformed from rolled scrolls of paper into a stack of sheets, reminiscent of a modern brochure. Subsequently, during the Song dynasty (960-1279), the sheets began to be bent in the center, making a "butterfly" type dressing, which made the book look modern.

The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) introduced a spine made of stiff paper, and later, during the Ming Dynasty, the sheets were stitched with threads. Typography in China has greatly contributed to the preservation of a rich culture that has developed over the centuries.

The invention of the compass in China

The invention of the first compass is attributed to China during the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), when the Chinese began to use magnetic iron ore, oriented north-south. True, it was used not for navigation, but for fortune telling.

In the ancient text "Lunheng", written in the 1st century. AD, in chapter 52 the ancient compass is described as follows: "This instrument resembles a spoon, and if you put it on a plate, then its handle will point to the south."

A more perfect design of the compass was proposed by the already mentioned Chinese scientist Shen Ko. In his "Notes on the Stream of Dreams" (1088), he described in detail the magnetic declination, that is, the deviation from the direction to true north, and the device of a magnetic compass with a needle. The use of a compass for navigation was first suggested by Zhu Yu in the book "Table Conversations in Ningzhou" (1119).

The magnet has been known to the Chinese for a long time. Back in the III century. BC. they knew that a magnet attracts iron. In the XI century. the Chinese began to use not the magnet itself, but magnetized steel and iron.

At that time, a water compass was also used: a magnetized steel arrow in the shape of a fish 5-6 cm long was placed in a cup of water. The arrow could be magnetized by means of strong heating. The fish's head always pointed south. In the future, the fish underwent a number of changes and turned into a compass needle.

The Chinese began to use the compass in navigation in the 11th century. At the beginning of the XII century. The Chinese ambassador, who arrived in Korea by sea, said that in conditions of poor visibility, the vessel kept its course solely by the compass attached to the bow and stern, and the compass needles floated on the surface of the water.

The invention of gunpowder in China

Gunpowder is considered to be the most famous ancient Chinese invention.... Legend has it that gunpowder was created by accident when ancient Chinese alchemists tried to create a mixture that would grant them immortality. Ironically, they managed to create something with which you can easily take a person's life.

The first gunpowder was made from a mixture of potassium nitrate (saltpeter), charcoal and sulfur. It was first described in 1044 in a book about the most important military techniques compiled by Zeng Goliang. The book says that the discovery of gunpowder occurred somewhat earlier, and Zeng described three different kinds gunpowder, which the Chinese used in flares and fireworks. Much later, gunpowder began to be used for military purposes.

Gunpowder barrel weapons, according to Chinese chronicles, were first used in the battles of 1132. It was a long bamboo tube, where gunpowder was put and then set on fire. This "flamethrower" inflicted severe burns on the enemy.

A century later in 1259, the first bullet-firing gun was invented - a thick bamboo tube, in which a charge of gunpowder and a bullet was placed. Later, at the turn of the XIII - XIV centuries. in the Celestial Empire, metal cannons, loaded with stone cannonballs, have spread.

The invention of gunpowder sparked a number of unique inventions such as burning spear, landmines, sea mines, squeaky, exploding cannonballs, multistage rockets and rockets with aerodynamic wings.

In addition to military affairs, gunpowder was actively used in everyday life. So, gunpowder was considered a good disinfectant for the treatment of ulcers and wounds, during epidemics, and it was also used to bait harmful insects.

Fireworks

However, perhaps the most "striking" invention in China, which appeared thanks to the creation of gunpowder, are fireworks... In the Celestial Empire, they were of particular importance. According to ancient beliefs, evil spirits are greatly afraid of bright light and loud sound. Therefore, since ancient times, on the New Chinese Year, there was a tradition in the courtyards to burn bonfires from bamboo, which hissed in the fire and burst with a bang. And the invention of gunpowder charges undoubtedly frightened the "evil spirits" in earnest - after all, in terms of the power of sound and light, they were significantly superior to the old method.

Later, Chinese craftsmen began to create multi-colored fireworks by adding various substances to gunpowder. Today fireworks have become an indispensable attribute of New Year's celebrations in almost all countries of the world. Some believe that Wei Boyang was the inventor of gunpowder or the forerunner of the invention in the 2nd century BC.

What other inventions were made by the Chinese

In 403 - 221 BC. the Chinese had the most advanced technologies in metallurgy, including blast furnaces and cupolas, and the furnace and puddling process were known during the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD)... Using a navigation compass and using the one known from the 1st century. a steering wheel with a sternpost, Chinese sailors achieved great success in managing a ship on the high seas, and in the XI century. they sailed to East Africa and Egypt.

As for the water clock, the Chinese used the escapement mechanism from the 8th century, and the chain drive from the 11th century. They also created large mechanical puppet theaters powered by a water wheel, a spoked wheel, and a vending machine operated by a plate wheel.

The Paeligang and Pengtoushan cultures that existed at the same time are the oldest Neolithic cultures in China, they arose around 7 thousand BC. Inventions of the Neolithic era of prehistoric China include sickle-shaped and rectangular stone knives, stone hoes and shovels, cultivation of millet, rice and soybeans, sericulture, construction of earth-buried structures, houses plastered with lime, creation potter's wheel, the creation of ceramics with a cord and basket design, the creation of a three-legged ceramic vessel (tripod), the creation of a ceramic steamer, as well as the creation of ceremonial vessels for fortune-telling.

Seismoscope - Invented in China

In the late Han era, the imperial astronomer Zhang Heng (78-139) invented the world's first seismoscope, which noted weak earthquakes at great distances. This device has not survived to this day. Its design can be judged from the incomplete description in Hou Han shu. Although some details of this device are still not known, general principle is quite clear.

The seismoscope was cast in bronze and looked like a wine vessel with a domed lid. Its diameter was 8 chi (1.9 m). On the circumference of this vessel were placed figures of eight dragons, or only the heads of dragons, oriented in eight directions of space: four cardinal points and intermediate directions.

The dragon heads had movable lower jaws. In the mouth of each dragon was a bronze ball. Next to the vessel under the dragons' heads were eight bronze toads with their mouths wide open. The inside of the vessel probably contained an inverted pendulum, such as is found in modern seismographs. This pendulum was connected by a system of levers with movable lower jaws dragon heads.

During an earthquake, the pendulum began to move, the mouth of the dragon, located on the side of the epicenter of the earthquake, opened, the ball fell into the toad's mouth, making a loud noise, which served as a signal for the observer. As soon as one ball fell out, a mechanism was triggered inside, preventing other balls from falling out during subsequent shocks.

Seismoscope Testing Story

Zhang Heng's seismoscope was sensitive even for registering small tremors passing at a distance of hundreds of li (0.5 km.). The effectiveness of this device was demonstrated shortly after its manufacture. When the ball fell out of the dragon's mouth for the first time, no one at court believed that it meant an earthquake, since no tremors were felt at that moment.

But a few days later, a messenger arrived with the news of the earthquake in the city of Longxi, which was located northwest of the capital at a distance of more than 600 km. Since then, it has been the responsibility of astronomy officials to record the directions of origin of earthquakes. Later, similar instruments were built many times in China. After 3 centuries, the mathematician Xintu Fan described a similar instrument and possibly made it. Ling Xiaogong made a seismoscope between 581 and 604 AD.

Tea has been known in China since ancient times.... In sources dating from the 1st millennium BC. there are references to a healing infusion obtained from the leaves of a tea bush. The first book about tea, "Classic Tea," by the poet Lu Yu, who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), talks about the different methods of growing and preparing tea, the art of drinking tea, from where the tea ceremony originated. Tea became a widespread drink in China already in the 6th century.

Legend of Emperor Shen Non.

According to another legend, the first tea was accidentally tasted by Emperor Shen Non. Leaves from a nearby wild camellia fell into the boiling water. The aroma that spread from the drink was so seductive that the emperor could not resist and took a sip. He was so impressed by the taste that he made tea the national drink.

Originally, Chinese teas were only green... Black tea appeared much later, but here, too, the Chinese were pioneers. And with the development of new fermentation technologies, white, and blue-green, and yellow, and red teas have emerged.

Chinese silk

China is the birthplace of silk. Even the Greek name for China - Seres, from which the names of China in most European languages ​​are derived, goes back to the Chinese word Si - silk.

Weaving and embroidery have always been considered an exclusively female occupation in China; absolutely all girls, even from the highest class, were taught this craft. The secret of silk production has been known to the Chinese since ancient times. According to legend, Xi Ling, the wife of the first emperor Huang Di, who reigned, according to legend, more than 2.5 thousand BC, taught Chinese women to breed silk worms, process silk and weave from silk threads.

Chinese porcelain

Chinese porcelain known all over the world and highly valued for its extraordinary quality and beauty, the very word "porcelain" in Persian means "king". In Europe of the XIII century. it was considered a great jewel, and the treasuries of the most influential persons contained specimens of Chinese ceramic art, set in gold by jewelers. Many myths are associated with it, for example, in India and Iran it was believed that Chinese porcelain has magical properties and changes color if poison is mixed into food.

Suspension bridges - an invention of ancient China

Since ancient times, the Chinese have paid great attention to the construction of bridges. Initially, they were built only from wood and bamboo. The first stone bridges in China date back to the Shang-Yin era. They were built from blocks laid on overpasses, the distance between which did not exceed 6 m. This method of construction was used in subsequent times, having undergone significant development. So, for example, during the Song dynasty, unique giant bridges with large spans were built, the size of which reached 21 m. In this case, stone blocks up to 200 tons in weight were used.

Suspension bridges were invented in China, and the links of their chains were made of wrought steel instead of woven bamboo. Cast iron was called "raw iron", steel was called "great iron," and malleable steel was called "ripe iron." The Chinese were well aware that iron loses some important component during “ripening”, and described this process as “loss of life-giving juices”. However, without knowing the chemistry, they could not determine what it was.

In the III century. BC. suspension bridges have gained in popularity. They were built mainly in the southwest, where there are many gorges. The most famous Chinese suspension bridge Is the Anlan Bridge in Guangxiang. It is believed to have been built in the 3rd century. BC. engineer Li Bing. The bridge has a total length of 320 m, a width of about 3 m and is composed of eight spans.

Other inventions of China

Archaeological finds of triggers suggest that crossbow weapons appeared in China around the 5th century. BC. The archaeological materials found are made of bronze devices of some kind of weapon throwing arrows. In the famous dictionary "Shi Ming" (Interpretation of names), created by Lu Xi during the Han dynasty in the II century. BC, it is mentioned that the term "chi" is used in application to this type of weapon, resembling a crossbow.

Throughout the long history of equestrian riding, humans have done without a leg support. Ancient peoples - Persians, Medes. the Romans, Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians, Greeks - stirrups were not known. Around the 3rd century. the Chinese managed to find a way out of the situation, By that time, they were already quite skilled metallurgists and began to cast stirrups from bronze and iron.

The decimal number system, which is fundamental to all modern science, first appeared in China.... You can find evidence supporting its use, starting from the XIV century. BC, during the reign of the Shang dynasty. An example of the use of the decimal system in ancient China is an inscription dating from the 13th century. BC, in which 547 days are designated as "five hundred plus four tens plus seven days." Since ancient times, the positional number system was understood literally: the Chinese really put counting sticks in the boxes assigned to them.

Ancient China made an invaluable contribution to the development of science and technology. All the richness of their culture amazes the imagination, and it is impossible to overestimate its significance for world culture. Many discoveries made by Europeans were much later, and technologies, kept secret for a long time, allowed China to flourish and develop for centuries independently of other countries. All inventions made in China directly affect subsequent inventions in the world.

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Westerners often think that their technological development has always been at the forefront and occupied a leading position in the world arena. This is not always the case. Many important inventions were first made in the mysterious west east (this is what Europeans call it). Moreover, they were not just revolutionary, but showed a high level of development of society. Today we will talk about ten things that were first created in China, but we still use them today.

Alcohol

The Chinese were the first to learn how to make alcohol

What could be more important than invention alcohol? In addition to the fact that in the Middle Ages, alcohol helped to mitigate the harsh living conditions, it was used for sterilization, when there were still no modern antimicrobial agents, and soap was in short supply. Whether alcohol contributed to the development of civilization is a controversial issue, but the fact remains that alcohol has given a lot to mankind: drinking water, the ability to treat wounds, disinfect fruit and anything that could be poured with alcohol.

And, of course, alcohol was first invented in China about 9 thousand years ago. In the late 90s of the 20th century, in northern China, archaeologists discovered shards of dishes with traces of an unusual liquid. During the examination, it was established that these were traces of the first mead, which was made from rice, honey and fruits.

In addition, it was discovered musical instruments, similar to the flute from the Stone Age. Apparently, people at all times loved to hang out with friends.

First, a technique for printing a picture on silk was developed in China, later the idea came to print texts

Everyone has heard of Gutenberg and his invention, right? This person is one of the key figures in the development of European culture. His typewriter helped to take a huge step in development not only in Europe, but also in many other countries. But the Chinese got ahead of Gutenberg, they invented the typewriter much earlier.

During the Tang Dynasty (618–907), Chinese engineers used blocks of wood to print designs on silk and other fabrics. Then they learned to print small Buddhist texts so that people could carry mantras with them. The first printed book was published in 868. It was a translated text of Indian Buddhists and it was called the "Diamond Sutra".

Note: Gutenberg was born in 1400, that is, 540 years after the first printed version of the Diamond Sutra appeared.

The first paper money appeared in China

Almost immediately after the invention of the typewriter, the Chinese came up with banknotes. Today, many may wonder what is so special about paper money? It's just paper. But the important thing is that we still use them. Almost all modern currencies are represented by banknotes, although in fact they are just colored pieces of paper, whose value depends on the people who use them.

The first banknotes began to spread in China even before the printing of the Diamond Sutra, in the 700s, when inflation reduced the value of the Chinese currency to nothing and its use greatly discouraged barter. Then the Chinese converted gold coins into paper equivalent.

Paper making

The closest paper to modern paper was first made in China

And how could people invent printing and paper money if they did not have the basis for making them? Around A.D. 100 Han dynasty (206 BC - 220 AD). learned how to make material on which to write. The first paper was made from old rags, bamboo, hemp and other fibrous plants and materials from which a gruel could be obtained, which was filtered and, after drying, the paper was obtained.

While parchment and papyrus were common in the world, this paper was best quality and more convenient to use. She did not require special conditions storage, like papyrus, or special dressing of animal skins, like parchment.

Steering wheel

The Chinese were the first to develop steering on sea vessels

While the entire world was using steering oars instead of built-in rudders, the ancient Chinese took a bold step forward with the invention of steering around A.D. 100. This invention made it possible to achieve smoother control of the ship, the steering oars did not give such an effect, since they depended directly on the physical capabilities of the strongman who controlled them. All that had to be done for the ship to change course after the rudder was invented was to turn the handle. The first description of such a mechanism in Europe occurred about 1000 years later, in southern England. It seems that the Saxons are tired of turning the ships around on their own.

The first toothbrush was made from animal bristles

While the whole world was using chewing sticks, the toothbrush was invented in China. The first mention of brushes dates back to the 1400s, originally made from bristles from the back of a pig's neck, which were attached to a bamboo or ivory stick. And if chewing sticks were used more to extract bits of food stuck between teeth and freshen breath (they were mostly made from scented wood), brushes were designed specifically for cleaning and preventing tooth loss. True, many are still against their use.

Compass

The first compass was developed in China, it was not very similar to the modern one, but its arrow clearly pointed to the north.

Although this is not the invention we use every day like a toothbrush, the first magnetic compasses appeared in China during the Han Dynasty. From the magnetized metal they made something like an arrow, which always pointed north.

Initially, it was used in burial and other rituals, but it was soon discovered that this device helps to orientate in space both on land and on water. By the time the Tang Dynasty was in its prime, the compass had already acquired a more familiar form for us.

The first automatic bow was built in China

It is unlikely that you will find a medieval picture, where there would not be depicted a shooter with a crossbow, who protects the walls of his city from enemies. Fans of chivalric romances should thank the Chinese for inventing the crossbow. This happened during the Warring States Period, which began around 480 BC. and ended by 221 AD, when the Chinese Empire was first established.

The advantage of the crossbow was that it didn't need a strong archer to fire it. Around 200 A.D. military strategist Zhuge Liang created a crossbow that fired multiple shots, this was the first attempt at creating an automatic weapon.

Powder

The Chinese were the first to invent gunpowder and fireworks

And here is another weapon that Europeans adore. By 300 A.D. records began to appear that if certain ingredients were mixed (sulfur, charcoal, saltpeter) and set on fire, you can get sparks and even an explosion. This observation led to the development of a device for war and celebration, one of the first things that was made from this mixture was fireworks.

By 900 A.D. the Chinese began to use this mixture to ignite the iron balls on the city walls and send the first missiles at the enemy troops. In the west, the first mention of gunpowder did not appear until 1200 AD. Most likely, this happened after the Europeans first visited the east.

Chinese made noodles for the first time

While Italians defended their right to be considered the inventors of noodles, archaeologists found evidence that the Chinese were the first to learn how to make it. In 2005, a bowl of ossified noodles was discovered in northwestern China, buried under a three-meter layer of dust.

This bowl of noodles is believed to be about 4000 years old, and the cereals from which it was made began to be grown in China 7000 years ago. And although it is proven that the Chinese cooked noodles 4000 years ago, they may have done it before, there is simply no evidence yet.

And although the Italians continue to insist that they invented the noodles, it seems that the Chinese have bypassed them in this struggle.

Today, China produces a wide variety of products from socks to state-of-the-art gadgets that consumers around the world buy. Few people know that the Chinese can boast of their own inventions. We hope that our article helped you make sure of this.