Ancient

Chinese
Inventions
China has been the source of many significant
inventions, including the Four Great Inventions:
Paper, Printing, Gunpowder and Compass.

Ancient China was extreme advanced and many of its

discoveries are 
still in use today...

Ancient
Chinese
Inventions
Paper
Chinese legend tells that the new invention of
paper was presented to the Emperor in the
year 105 AD by Cai Lun. Archeological
evidence, however, shows that paper was in
use two hundred years before then. Either
way, the Chinese were significantly ahead of
the rest of the world. The craft of
papermaking relied upon an abundance of
bamboo fiber to produce a fine quality paper.
In China the papermaker uses only the
traditional materials and methods to produce
fine art paper.
Printing
The Chinese invention of Woodblock
printing, at some point before the first
dated book in 868, produced the world's
first print culture. 

The technique of printing with

woodblocks consists of preparing a block
as a relief matrix by cutting away with a
knife.  It is only necessary to ink the block
and bring it into firm and even contact
with the paper to achieve an acceptable
print. 
Gunpowde
r In the eighth century AD, Chinese
scientists discovered that an explosive
mixture could be produced by combining
sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter (potassium
nitrate). The military applications were
clear. New weapons were rapidly
developed, including rockets and others
that were launched from a bamboo tube.
Once again, the raw materials at hand, like
bamboo, contributed ideas for new
technologies.
Compass
By the third century AD, Chinese
scientists had studied and learned
much about magnetism in nature.
For example, they knew that iron
ore, called magnetite, tended to
align itself in a North/South
position. Scientists learned to "make
magnets" by heating pieces of ore to
red hot temperatures and then
cooling the pieces in a North/South
position. The magnet was then
placed on a piece of reed and
floated in a bowl of water marked
with directional bearings. These first
navigational compasses were widely
used on Chinese ships by the
eleventh century AD.
Kite
The discovery of the kite that could fly in
the air by the Chinese started humans
thinking about flying. Kites were used by
the Chinese in religious ceremonies 400
years BC. They built many colorful kites
for fun, also. More sophisticated kites
were used to test weather conditions. 
Silk
China is the first country in the world that
discovered the use of silk. Silkworms were
domesticated as early as 5000 years ago.
The production of silk thread and fabrics
gave rise to the art of embroidery.
Historical documents record the use of
embroidery in China as early as 2255 B.C.
Archaeological finds, however, place the
beginnings of embroidery at some point
during the Shang dynasty (1766B.C.-1122
B.C.).
Note

Paper currency was first developed in China. Its roots were in

merchant receipts of deposit during the Tang Dynasty (618–907),
as merchants and wholesalers desired to avoid the heavy bulk of 
copper coins in large commercial transactions.
Umbrella
Umbrellas were invented by the
Chinese. The umbrellas were
made from oiled paper because
oil repels water. The frames of
the umbrellas were made from
mulberry bark or bamboo. Red
and yellow umbrellas were used
by royalty, and blue umbrellas
were used by the common
people. The Chinese also used
umbrellas to keep the sun off
their skin.
Wheelbarr
ow
The wheelbarrow was invented by the
Chinese. The Chinese wheelbarrow had a
single wheel in the middle of the
wheelbarrow. Farmers used the
wheelbarrow to take a load of produce to
the market place. Builders used the
wheelbarrow to carry heavy building
supplies. Soldiers used the wheelbarrow to
remove injured or dead people from the
battlefield.
Abacus

The abacus is a calculator for adding,

subtracting, dividing and multiplying.
Tests have shown that, for operations of
addition and subtraction, the abacus is still
faster than the electronic calculator.
Noodles

2400 years BC there were noodles

made of millet (instead of traditional
wheat flour) resembling the
traditional Chinese noodle, which is
made by repeatedly pulling and
stretching the dough by hand.
Yo-yo The oldest toy in the world is the yo-yo.
The "empty bell" was invented during the
Ming Dynasty between 1386 to 1644 AD.
During the Chinese festivals in the old days,
the Chinese yo-yo presentations played an
important role as an entertaining program. The
yo-yo became popular in the North part of
China in the spring.
The bamboo or empty bell was made of two
ends of round saucer shapes with the middle
being a horizontal piece of wood. They were
mounted on a string and twirled with a
vibrating motion. This emitted a humming
sound.
Domino
The oldest confirmed written mention of dominoes in China comes from a book
written during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368. Traditional Chinese domino set
consisted of thirty-two-piece and included games as Tien Gow, Pay Gow,
Cheng Dong, and others.
Toilet
Paper
Toilet paper was first mentioned in the
year 589 during the Sui Dynasty (581–
618). In the year 851 during the Tang
Dynasty (618–907),
a Muslim Arab traveller from the Middle
East commented that the Chinese used
paper instead of water to clean themselves
while going to the bathroom. It is also
known that emperors of the Ming Dynasty
(1368–1644) used perfumed toilet paper.