...The invention of gunpowder was one of China’s greatest inventions that made a significant contribution to Chinese culture and to the present world. Although, today we mainly use gunpowder for fireworks, for entertainment purposes, the Chinese used it to scare-off enemies in the time of war. Gunpowder was discovered in the tenth century by Chinese medicine men that were looking for the secret to immortality. Chinese scientists discovered that an explosive mixture could be produced by combining sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (potassium nitrate). They thought that gunpowder could be used as a medicine of some sort. The invention of gunpowder gave the Chinese a distinct advantage over their enemies, changing the nature of warfare. Gunpowder in Chinese is called “huo yau”, meaning flaming medicine. The invention of gunpowder gave the Chinese an upper hand when defending from enemies. It also gave them the chance to conquer and control others. Gunpowder and its weapons were left to the kings, making the rule even stronger over the commons. Also adding to the value of gunpowder was the fact that, in the beginning, the total recipe for gunpowder was not common knowledge, and only a few special weapon-makers knew how to make gunpowder at all. There are several variants and different uses of the gunpowder. The discovery of the gunpowder drastically changed warfare. It not only led to the use of firearms on the battle field but many more weapons such as poisonous bombs, grenades...
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...Eight of the Useful Ancient Chinese Inventions 1. Alcohol, the earliest alcohol makers in Chinese legend were Yi Di and Dukang of the Xia Dynasty (about 2000 BC – 1600 BC). 2. Mechanical Clock, the mechanical clock is an invention we all use today. 3. Tea Production, according to Chinese legend, tea was first drunk by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong around 2,737 BC. 4. Silk, it is silkworms that naturally create silk, however, it is Chinese people that invented how to harvest the silk and use it in clothing and paper thousands years ago. 5. Iron and Steel Smelting, it has been confirmed by archaeological evidence that iron, made from melting pig iron, was developed in ancient China in the early 5th century. 6. Porcelain is a very specific kind of ceramic produced in the extreme temperatures of a kiln. 7. Compass, the earliest Chinese compasses were probably not originally invented for navigation, but to harmonize environments and buildings in accordance with the geometric principles of Feng Shui. 8. Gunpowder, known since the late 19th century as black powder, is a mixture of sulfur, charlcoal and potassium nitrate. (Lin Liyao, 2011) The 4 most useful Inventions of Ancient Chinese Culture 1. The invention of the compass 2. The invention of paper 3. The invention of gunpowder 4. The invention of alcohol Why these 4 inventions are most useful from the Ancient Chinese Cai-Lun’s invention of paper is considered one of the...
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...This paper will highlight some of the inventions of the ancient Chinese and focus on four that many believe to be the most important to society today. China is the oldest living civilization in the world. Because of the vast history, dating 5,000 years, Chinese history is broken down into dynasties. The Chinese have made a copious amount of inventions in history, four of which we will go into great detail about in this paper- printing, gunpowder, compass, and paper. Theories abound as to why China was so successful inventing. Some of the factors contributing to the proliferation of innovation are wealth, an abundant population, and geographical isolation. The Chinese also had a very civilized and cultured society. The Chinese have always had a large population; historians estimate that during the innovation period for the Chinese they maintained 25% of the world’s population (National Bureau of Statistics of China, 2014). This allowed for the Chinese to leverage many people to perform a task. China is located in Asia, and during the time they were extremely isolated, as evidenced by the building of the Great Wall, a tremendous feat in ingenuity and innovation in its own right. A few of the noted inventions listed in chronological order are silk, papermaking, cast iron technology, wheelbarrow, compass, tea, porcelain, gunpowder, brandy, whisky and printing. For the purposes of this paper we will focus on the compass, paper, gunpowder, and printing. Silk is also an example...
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...ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS HUM111/032VA016-1128-001 December 22, 2012 ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS Ancient China has a glorious history and it is well known that China is the main source of a lot of innovative and ingenious inventions. They have invented things that we as modern Americans continue to use and depend on today. It seems as though the Ancient Chinese were extremely inventive and people all around the globe owe them an awful lot. The Ancient Chinese has given us inventions that have continued to shape the world, as we know it, today. Most of the things that we depend on today basically began with our Asian counterparts. The Ancient Chinese have contributed to the world the compass, papermaking, the movable-type print, gunpowder, porcelain, the mechanical clock, toilet paper, and silk. These inventions are just to name a few; however, the four most ingenious and innovative inventions made by the Ancient Chinese are the compass, papermaking, the movable-type print and gunpowder. First of all, the compass, invented by the Ancient Chinese in 220 BCE, was supposed to be able to harmonize environments and buildings in accordance with the geometric principles (cultural-china.com, 2007-2010). Originally, the compasses were not built for navigation, but the spoon shaped compass made of magnetic ore with a bronze plate which dated back to the Han Dynasty, was used to determine the best location ad time for a burial (Silverman, n.a.). The compass...
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...kings; the first emperor was Qin Shi Huang, in 221 BC. China's long history has seen many extremely important ancient inventions and tremendous contributions to the world's economy and the culture of mankind. They were also important symbols of China's role as a great world civilization. Ancient China has many inventions and contributions, the 10 useful ones are identified as follows; Paper making is believed to be invented first in China. The proper paper making is one of the China's significant contributions to the development of human civilization. The paper was first made during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC). Another invention was a movable typing printing. The world's first printings were invented in China in the Tang Dynasty (618－907 BC). Chinese began to print mainly with carved blocks. Gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate. It was used in firearms and as a pyrotechnic in fireworks. It was a useful invention that contributed to the advancement of generating large amount of heat and gas. Chinese also invented the compass. A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The first compasses were invented for harmonize environments and buildings in accordance with the geometric principles. The invention of compass greatly improved the safety and efficiency travel not only in China but the rest of the world. Porcelain is...
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...Assignment 2: Ancient Chinese Contributions By HUM 111 Professor Michael Briere May 15, 2012 Inventions, Innovations, and other Contributions From Ancient China Although Chinese culture is replete with lists of significant works or achievements such as: compass, papermaking, iron technology (cast iron), silk, first water powered blast furnace, gunpowder, medicine, paper money and certificates of deposit, printing, helicopter rotor and propeller, etc. Among, undoubtedly, many inventions, four stand out above others that I believe and nominate for are: (1) Iron technology (cast iron), (2) papermaking/currency, (3) guns and gunpowder, (4) medicine, all of which are still utilized by modern humanity. The first nominate greatest Chinese invention is the development of iron and steel. The development of iron and steel led to other advance. In the 5th century BC during the Zho Dynasty (1122-256BC), the Chinese had developed the blast furnace to obtain cast iron from iron ore. The Chinese had access to large amount of clay; clay was the most important ingredient in making blast furnace. The Chinese also figured out that by adding a substance the called “black earth” they could lower the melting point of iron; today iron and steel are used in many things from cars to buildings. The second nominate and the most important Chinese contributions to the modern world are papermaking. The earliest known piece of paper with writing on it was discovered near the 2nd century...
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...its innovations and contributions. Ancient Chinese inventions were extremely advanced and are still in use in today. They have contributed to our world civilization’s achievements in the fields of agriculture, shipping, astronomy, printing, oil, martial arts, ammunition, and mathematics. Ancient Chinese inventions such as gunpowder, silk, paper, printing, tea, wheel barrow, iron plows, deep drilling, porcelain, toilet paper and the compass were and still are important pieces of Chinese and global life. These inventions were major blocks in the building of the world that we know today. The four main innovations that I consider essential in our lives are printing, gunpowder, compass, and paper. The method of printing and woodblock, or movable, printing are considered ancient Chinese inventions. This ancient Chinese invention was seen before the first dated book in 868 (Lad). Printing books was time-consuming, as the blackline method used required a new block to be carved for each page. Movable type in printing was invented during the Song Dynasty. Movable Chinese characters were carved from wood, which could be arranged as needed and even reused. Later versions used clay, but these broke easily. During the Ming Dynasty, the wooden movable type was refined and books were printed using the two-color printing process. After the development of paper, printing was one of the most important inventions as it led to expansion in spreading stories, news, and...
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...Some of the world’s greatest inventions came from China. Throughout history, emperors inspired the development of science and technology, and for centuries China led others into these areas. The world is forever in debt to China for its inventions and ideas. Some of the most important innovations were paper, gunpowder, and silk. The first important invention from China is paper. In Document 2, it shows how important paper was to China. Obviously writing on pure wood is a lot harder than writing on paper. It also takes a lot more wood (obviously). Just imagine today’s education system without paper. It would be so much different. Document 2 says that making paper took plenty of bamboo fiber. In order to create it, they used a mold with a bamboo...
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...China for its innovations and contributions. Ancient Chinese inventions were extremely advanced and are still in use in today. They have contributed to our world civilization’s achievements in the fields of agriculture, shipping, astronomy, printing, oil, martial arts, ammunition, and mathematics. Ancient Chinese inventions such as gunpowder, silk, paper, printing, tea, wheel barrow, iron plows, deep drilling, porcelain, toilet paper and the compass were and still are important pieces of Chinese and global life. These inventions were major blocks in the building of the world that we know today. The four main innovations that I consider essential in our lives are printing, gunpowder, compass, and paper. The method of printing and woodblock, or movable, printing are considered ancient Chinese inventions. This ancient Chinese invention was seen before the first dated book in 868 (Lad). Printing books was time-consuming, as the blackline method used required a new block to be carved for each page. Movable type in printing was invented during the Song Dynasty. Movable Chinese characters were carved from wood, which could be arranged as needed and even reused. Later versions used clay, but these broke easily. During the Ming Dynasty, the wooden movable type was refined and books were printed using the two-color printing process. After the development of paper, printing was one of the most important inventions as it led to expansion in spreading stories, news, and knowledge...
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...that created many inventions and contributed to the advancement of not only the Chinese civilization but also to the civilization of the world. In the history of the world there has been many important inventions, Ancient Chinese were great inventors. This essay will point out some of the great inventions that Chinese culture introduced to the world. The impact that these inventions have made in our day to day lives and how without these inventions the world would have not enhanced and progress the way it has. These are eight inventions that Chinese has contributed to the world and their usefulness. ) Identify eight to ten of these useful inventions or contributions. . The top ten inventions and contributions and inventions by the Ancient Chinese included: the wheelbarrow, seismograph, paper, compass, gun powder, map, glazed pottery, hot air balloons, and silk. The ten most useful contributions that the ancient Chinese made in our contemporary society were: paper money, kites, iron and bronze, gunpowder, printing press, umbrellas, clocks, compasses, porcelain, and alcohol (Yinke, 2009). (2) Nominate four that you believe are the most ingenious or innovative. However, out of those ten, the four most significant innovations are paper money, gunpowder, printing press, and clocks. (3) Explain why you believe these four inventions or contributions are the most useful inventions or contributions from the ancient Chinese. Paper is one of the utmost inventions of the Chinese...
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...The Inventions of the Ancient Chinese To win a trip to China I have to enter a contest to determine the four most useful inventions in Chinese history. In this I will determine eight to ten inventions and nominate the four that I believe to be the most ingenious of all. The first of these inventions is that of silk; which although silk is known to be created naturally through silkworms, China invented how to gather the silk and use it in clothing and paper. Silk was vital to the Ancient Chinese economy because Europe imported a large amount of silk. The creation of silk permitted China to associate with the outside world through trade and led to the creation of the Silk Road. Silk was unique to Ancient China and allowed them to interact with the world up until the silkworm eggs were smuggled out of China and into Europe (Country Facts, 2010). The second invention of the Ancient Chinese was gunpowder; which when we think about it today we associate it with military use and weaponry, but in Ancient China it was invented by the Taoist monks who through the use of alchemy was searching for the answer to human immortality. The Chinese word for gunpowder actually translates directly as flaming medicine. The search for immortality had failed but the mixture of sulphur, saltpeter and charcoal which the monks used was early gunpowder and it was not originally used for purposes of weapons and military, but for signal flares and fireworks. As the Ancient Chinese military grew they began...
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...its innovations and contributions. Ancient Chinese inventions were extremely advanced and are still in use in today. They have contributed to our world civilization’s achievements in the fields of agriculture, shipping, astronomy, printing, oil, martial arts, ammunition, and mathematics. Ancient Chinese inventions such as gunpowder, silk, paper, printing, tea, wheel barrow, iron plows, deep drilling, porcelain, toilet paper and the compass were and still are important pieces of Chinese and global life. These inventions were major blocks in the building of the world that we know today. The four main innovations that I consider essential in our lives are printing, gunpowder, compass, and paper. The method of printing and woodblock, or movable, printing are considered ancient Chinese inventions. This ancient Chinese invention was seen before the first dated book in 868 (Lad). Printing books was time-consuming, as the blackline method used required a new block to be carved for each page. Movable type in printing was invented during the Song Dynasty. Movable Chinese characters were carved from wood, which could be arranged as needed and even reused. Later versions used clay, but these broke easily. During the Ming Dynasty, the wooden movable type was refined and books were printed using the two-color printing process. After the development of paper, printing was one of the most important inventions as it led to expansion in spreading stories, news, and...
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...Chinese Inventions Assignment 2 Christopher Macinkowicz 8/23/2013 Professor Ibrahim H. Alsaeed, Ph.D. World Cultures I Many people do not realize how many different and important inventions China has added to our world. Our everyday life would much different if it weren’t for the Chinese. From fishing reels to sunglasses, alcohol to the umbrella, many inventions that we take for granted are the result of ancient Chinese innovation. Even the fork and toilet paper were invented by the Chinese people. Although each of the inventions I have already mentioned is extremely important in their own way, there are four main Chinese inventions that I believe have changed the course of history. They are, in no particular order, gunpowder, paper, the compass, and silk. I will discuss each one of these four very important inventions in this paper and also reveal which one I believe has been the most important to my personal life. First off, let’s talk about gunpowder. Gunpowder is a highly volatile compound that is made from potassium nitrate and charcoal. Originally used to treat skin diseases as far back as 140 AD, eventually the Chinese people mastered the art of igniting the gunpowder to launch fireworks and rockets which were used to defend China from Mongol invaders as early as the 9th or 10th century AD. Gunpowder has since been used by people all over the world for purposes ranging from hunting to warfare. Were it not for the discovery of gunpowder, we would...
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...information, I feel the top 10 ancient Chinese inventions that need mentioning are as follows: 1. Paper: Though it is commonly believed that Egyptians are the true inventor paper (papyrus), they are 2 completely different things. The papyrus that the Egyptians used was not really paper. Papyrus is more or less the bark of a raw unprocessed plant. Paper, by its definition, is a processed material that is made from several raw materials. So the person on earth who actually came up with the brilliant idea of inventing paper was T’sai Lun around 105 A.D. 2. Porcelain: Porcelain is a kind of ceramic produced by the extreme temperatures of a kiln. The materials used fuse and form a glass and mineral compound known for its strength, translucence and beauty. Believe to have been invented during the Sui Dynasty (possibly earlier) and was perfected during the Tang Dynasty. 3. Printing (movable type): Bi Sheng invented the first movable type using clay fired characters that he made. In 868 the first printed book, using full page woodcuts, was produced. Bi Sheng developed typesetting techniques to print books, but his technology was not perfected until 1298. 4. Compass: The Chinese the lodestone compass in the 4th century BC. These compasses pointed south instead of north and were mostly used on land. Thermo-remanence needles were being produced for mariners by the year 1040, with common use recorded by 1119. 5. Gunpowder: Discovered in the 9th century by Chinese alchemists...
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...Ancient Chinese Inventions Nancy LeFever Strayer University Dr. Rick Foster Hum111 World Cultures I March 2, 2014 Civilization dawned in China centuries before it took root in the West. Within these centuries many wonderful things came into being, things that today we use and sometimes take for granted. Ancient times could not have been easy; everything was done the hard way until something was created to make the task easier. “Necessity is the mother of invention” spoke Plato. The Chinese are and have been great inventors, contributing hundreds of incredible items throughout the ages. A debate on which Chinese inventions are the best or greatest of all has been ongoing for many years. Although the top ten seem to be somewhat the same, the order in which they are listed is different depending on who is cataloging them. Some say that alcohol is the #1 invention while others contend that gunpowder or the compass is at the top. There are so many to choose from, it is a difficult task to determine which Chinese invention is the most important. Since the inventions are scattered among different areas of life: homemaking has the teapot, pasta and the toothbrush; sailing has the movable rudder and the batten sail; war has gunpowder, the crossbow (not to mention the repeating crossbow), the exploding cannonball and landmines; finance has paper money, the bank note, the abacus; agriculture has the iron plow and the seed drill, different inventions mean more to one person...
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