Ancient China led the world in many fields of study. Besides the four great inventions – papermaking, printing, gunpowder and the compass, ancient China contributed countless other inventions to the world. And it was the Silk Road that helped spread the knowledge.
Papermaking
The ancient Chinese often bleached the raw cocoons of the silk moth to make silk. Some fibres were left left on the matting after this process and gradually built up as more and more cocoons were bleached, accumulating into a fibrous sheet. When the sheet was dried in the sun, it could be used to write on. This was the origin of paper in China. In 105 CE, a eunuch named Cai Lun discovered that paper could be made more easily. He collected bark, cotton cloth, fishnets, and other materials, and by grinding, and pounding them, found he could make them into paper. 
Gunpowder
Gunpowder was invented by Chinese Taoist alchemists about 1000 CE. 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 CE. The interesting fact is that Chinese used this discovery mainly for firecrackers while Europeans created cannons and guns and dominated the world. 
Brewing
The inhabitants of the Arabian Peninsula were widely believed to be the first brewers. However, in 2013, a 9000-year-old piece of pottery found in Henan province revealed the presence of alcohol 1000 years before Arabian practices. Alcohol is known as Jiu in Chinese and is often used as a spiritual offerings 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 (1600–1046 BCE). 
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 BCE. The Chinese mastered sophisticated silk weaving techniques which remained a closely guarded secret, and silk was literally worth its weight in gold when traded to the West. The trade in silk from China to the West formed the basis of the famous Silk Road. 
The 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 a rain shelter, he created umbrella by making a flexible framework covered by a cloth. 
Iron Smelting
Archaeological evidence revealed that iron smelting technology was developed in China as early as 5th century BCE in the Zhou Dynasty (1050 -256 BCE). During The Spring & Autumn and Warring States periods (776-221 BCE) China smelting industry flourished. The oldest blast furnace dates from 100 BCE , the Western Han Dynasty, and was made of clay. During the Han Dynasty (202 BCE -220 CE) the government monopolised iron smelting leading to significant development. 
The Seismometer
Zhang Heng (78 - 139), a Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and seismologist, invented the earliest seismometer to determine the direction of an earthquake. It was made of bronze and shaped like a wine bottle. Dragon heads were equipped surrounding the body, facing the eight directions. Each dragon had one copper ball held in its movable mouth, and a copper toad was set under the mouth, ready to catch the falling copper ball. There was a dangling pendulum made of copper surrounded with an ingenious mechanism of eight channels in the centre of the body. The seismograph was was placed in Luoyang palace. On a day in 138 CE, a copper ball from the northwest dragon fell to the toad's mouth. People wondered if it was a false alarm as there was no earthquake news, however a few days later, news of the earthquake in Longxi (west of today's Gansu province) arrived. Modern seismographs only began development in 1848 in Europe. 
The Kite
China developed the kite around 3,000 years ago. The earliest kites were made of wood, and were known as Muyuan. These kites were mainly used for military purposes such as sending messages, measuring distances, testing the wind and signalling. Over time kite flying became a playful pastime and kite flying is now enjoyed worldwide. 
Bronze
Bronze production skills had been mastered by the Chinese by 1700 BCE. The Shang Dynasty (1600–1046 BCE) and Zhou dynasties (1046-256 BCE) brought China into the Bronze Age and bronze casting reached its peak during this period. Bronze was used to make weapons, tools and ritual vessels. Compared to the rest of the world, Chinese bronzes show a high level of sophistication in both the shape of the vessels and the intricacy of the patterns used. 
The Seed Drill
The seed drill is a device that plants the seed into soil at a uniform depth and covers it. Prior to this invention farmers planted the seeds by hand, resulting in waste and uneven growth. The use of seed drills can be dated back to the 2nd Century BCE and highly improved agricultural output in China. 
The Toothbrush
The bristle toothbrush was invented in 1498 by the Chinese who made toothbrushes using coarse horse hairs attached to bone or bamboo handles. Traders then brought the invention to the West. |
Moveable type
Woodblock printing was already a widely used technique in the Tang Dynasty. Then, in the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE), a man named Bi Sheng (990–1051 CE) invented movable type printing by creating porcelain characters. These movable type pieces were glued to an iron plate to print a page and then broken up and rearranged for another page. However moveable type was never widely used in China as whole block printing was less expensive due to the vast number of Chinese characters. Merchants and missionaries brought this technology to Europe via the Silk Road and thanks to Johannes Gutenberg, who invented the first metal moveable-type printing press, it spread across Europe, and later around the world. 
The Magnetic Compass
The compass was invented by Chinese between the 2nd century BCE and 1st century CE. It was first used in Feng Shui, the layout of buildings. By 1000 CE, navigational compasses were commonly used on Chinese ships. Arab traders sailing to China might have learned of the technology and brought it to the West. 
The mechanical clock
The world’s first mechanical clock -Water-driven Spherical Birds – was invented by Yi Xing, a Buddhist monk in 725CE. It was operated by dripping water which powered a wheel that made one revolution every 24 hours. Hundreds of years later, the inventor Su Song developed a more sophisticated clock called the Cosmic Empire in 1092, 200 years before the mechanical clock was created in Europe. 
Tea Production
According to Chinese legend, tea was first discovered by Shennong, the Chinese Father of Agriculture, around 2,737 BCE. Originally made for medicinal purposes, in the Tang Dynasty (618-907 CE) tea became a popular drink enjoyed by all social classes. Cha Jing (or The Book of Tea), written by Lu Yu in the Tang Dynasty, documented tea cultivation, tea drinking and the different classifications of tea. The book is considered as the world’s first monograph about tea. The world’s oldest and largest living tea tree can be found in Lin Cang, China, and is about 3,200 years old. 
Acupuncture
The oldest Chinese book of medicine, the Neijing, also known as “The Inner Cannon of the Yellow Emperor”, was mentioned in the Book of Han (111 CE) and shows that acupuncture was already widely used as a therapy in China. Various kinds of acupuncture needles were discovered in the tomb of Prince Liu Sheng who died around 200 BCE, evidence that acupuncture has been used in China more than two thousand years ago. 
Porcelain
The earliest porcelain emerged in Shang Dynasty (1600– 1046 BCE) and was refined during the Tang Dynasty (618- 906 CE). During the Song Dynasty (960–1279 CE), porcelain production technology reached its height in the sophistication of its shapes and glazes. Chinese porcelain was highly prized around the world thanks to the trade of the Silk Road. 
The Rocket
Ancient Chinese inventors created rockets by using the counter-force of ignited gunpowder. In 228 CE, the Wei State already used torches attached to arrows to defend Chencang against the invading troops of the Shu State. Later the Song Dynasty (960-1279 CE) further adapted gunpowder to make rockets. A paper tube stuffed with gunpowder was attached to an arrow which was launched by a bow. These ancient rockets were used by the military but were more popularly used for entertainment. 
Row Crop Farming
While the Chinese started planting crops in rows from the 6th century BCE, in other parts of the world, farmers still scattered seed onto the fields randomly. Planting individual seeds in rows reduced seed loss and encouraged faster and stronger growth. This idea was not used in the western world until 2200 years later. 
Wheelbarrow
Although the wheeled wagon appeared some 5000 years ago, the invention of the wheelbarrow was debatable. However, Han Dynasty reliefs can shed light on its appearance. In a Han Dynasty tomb dating back to 118 CE, a fresco showed a man pushing a wheelbarrow, the earliest record of a wheelbarrow in China. The Han Dynasty wheelbarrow had a large wheel, reducing the rolling resistance and was also easy to use as the wheel directly bore the load. 
Stirrup
The stirrup was invented in the Han dynasty. Before then, ancient cavalrymen had to dangle their legs while riding a horse and grasp the reins tightly, making it hard to fight. A fresco from a large Han tomb in Xian, shows stirrups attached to the saddle through there is no way to judge whether it is a single or double stirrups or what it was made of, though it is presumed it was made of iron. The invention liberated cavalrymen’s hands allowing them to fight on a horse. 
Suspension Bridge
According to “The Genius of China” by Robert Temple, the suspension bridge existed in the Han Dynasty, however the very first suspension bridge was invented much earlier. The chronicle Annals of Yanyuan County writes that Li Bing, a local governor, built seven bridges in Yanyuan, one of them being the “Cable Bridge”. This may be the earliest mention of a bridge similar to the modern suspension bridge in Chinese history. In 50 BCE, a hundred-meter-long iron chain bridge was built in Sichuan and a French missionary named Kircher also mentioned another iron chain bridge in Yunnan built in 65 AD. |
