The top 10 Ancient Chinese Inventions are: #10.Alcohol #9.Mechanical Clock #8.Tea Production #7.Silk #6.Iron and steel smelting #5.Porcelain #4.Compass #3.Gunpowder-Gunpowder, known since the late 19th century as black powder, is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate. Because it burns rapidly and generates a large amount of heat and gas, gunpowder has been widely used as a propellant in firearms and as a pyrotechnic composition in fireworks. In ancient China, gunpowder and gunpowder-based weapons were invented and widely used by military forces to dispel invasion at the borders. The prevailing academic consensus is that gunpowder was discovered in the 9th century by Chinese alchemists searching for an elixir of immortality. Wujing Zongyao, written by Zeng Gongliang and Ding Du in the Song Dynasty (960-1279), is the earliest treatise recording three formulas for making gunpowder.
#2.Movable-type printing-The Chinese invention of Woodblock printing first appeared over 2,000 years ago, and produced the world's first printings. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Chinese began to print with carved blocks. Then in the 1040s, Bi Sheng of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) invented movable clay type printing, which marked a beginning of a major revolution in the history of printing. Bi's printing consisted of four processes: making the types, composing the text, printing and retrieving the movable types. After that, Wang Zhen of the Northern Song Dynasty and Hua Sui of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) invented wooden and metal movable-type printing. All later printing methods such as wooden-type, copper-type and lead-type printing invariably were developed on the basis of Bi Sheng' idea.#1.Papermaking-It is known to all that China was the first country in the world to make proper paper. The invention of papermaking is one of China's significant contributions to the spread and the development of human civilization. According to research, paper was first made during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-9 AD). Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) successfully invented the world's first batch of paper using fish nets, tree bark, bits of rope and rags.
Before paper was invented, the ancient Chinese carved characters on pottery, animal bones and stones, cast them in bronzes, or wrote them on bamboo or wooden strips and silk fabric. These materials, however, were either too heavy or two expensive for widespread use. The invention and use of paper brought a revolution in writing and paved the way for the invention of printing technology.
#2.Movable-type printing-The Chinese invention of Woodblock printing first appeared over 2,000 years ago, and produced the world's first printings. In the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Chinese began to print with carved blocks. Then in the 1040s, Bi Sheng of the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) invented movable clay type printing, which marked a beginning of a major revolution in the history of printing. Bi's printing consisted of four processes: making the types, composing the text, printing and retrieving the movable types. After that, Wang Zhen of the Northern Song Dynasty and Hua Sui of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) invented wooden and metal movable-type printing. All later printing methods such as wooden-type, copper-type and lead-type printing invariably were developed on the basis of Bi Sheng' idea.#1.Papermaking-It is known to all that China was the first country in the world to make proper paper. The invention of papermaking is one of China's significant contributions to the spread and the development of human civilization. According to research, paper was first made during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC-9 AD). Cai Lun of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) successfully invented the world's first batch of paper using fish nets, tree bark, bits of rope and rags.
Before paper was invented, the ancient Chinese carved characters on pottery, animal bones and stones, cast them in bronzes, or wrote them on bamboo or wooden strips and silk fabric. These materials, however, were either too heavy or two expensive for widespread use. The invention and use of paper brought a revolution in writing and paved the way for the invention of printing technology.