Ancient China Research Paper

2.2.4 Practice: Trade and Technology in Ancient China

China has an amusing culture going back to thousands of years ago. One central feature of that culture has been the Chinese’s sympathy for invention. Yes indeed, Chinese inventions have shaped all of world history. Without the export of these five Chinese inventions to the rest of the world, the Western world could never have developed in the way it is now. In this essay I will teach you about the top five inventions that were discovered, and why they are so important to Chinese and world history.

Alchemists of ancient China created the first gunpowder after discovering the quick ignition of sulfur and niter. By the end of the Tang Dynasty, the gunpowder was put to use for military applications with “flying fire”, which were packs of launched powder lit on fire. The Chinese military went and developed even more sophisticated weapons. They used the gunpowder to create many weapons. Gunpowder was also used for non-military use, especially by magicians and acrobats, they used it to create special effects during their shows. This

eventually developed into the complex fireworks displays. China was, and still is known for it today, and that invention has been spread around the world.
The traditional origin story of paper is that Cai Lun, an Imperial Court official during the Han Dynasty, created the first sheets of paper around 105 BC.

He used, broken fishnets, mulberry fibers, hemp waste, and old rags to create the paper. In real life, paper from China has been dated as far back as 8 BC. It might even be older than that. What cannot be questioned, is is that the invention of paper greatly spread the written word across China and into the world. Moreover, it was the development of paper that allowed the Chinese to develop printing. They would use wood blocks to do this. This made it easier for them to create standard texts. Therefore help the distribution of important information. It even was the driving force behind the spread of Buddhism across Asia. The Chinese inventions of printing and paper established the importance of the written word for thousands of

years.
Before the compass was even invented, traveling overseas, by ships was not possible. This was because sailors had to navigate using the stars and astronomy. This technique was truly impossible during the day, and even worse on those cloudy nights. Some remarkably skilled navigators, such as the Polynesians, were able to get around these difficulties. Although for most of the ship movement, the Chinese solved these navigation problems by inventing the first compass ever seen. This was invented between the times of the 9th and 11th centuries. The Chinese compass was made of lodestone, lodestone is a naturally-magnetized iron mineral, and allowed captains of ships to always know where they were going. Right after this amazing invention, China’s compass technology passed to the rest of the world through naval contact. The compass extremely increased sea trade. This even brought contact between cultures more closely. Without the compass, who knows how long it would have been before ships could have been used?
Silk had been a desirable import from China across the Western world. Nonetheless, it was difficult for Chinese traders to keep up with the demand due to the time-consuming nature of spinning the fine silk threads. They used silk as yarns for sewing fine clothing and tapestries. With the swelling demand for silk fabric, the Chinese developed the spinning wheel in 1035. The spinning wheel was a machine that was so simple that it could be easily operated by just one person and made high-quality thread for export. Italians showed and ushered the invention to Europe in the 14th century. This was also where the spinning wheel was put to use to create threads out of all sorts of other materials. This changed the production process for textiles all around the world.
Early in the Chinese history, China had one of the most advanced naval forces in the world. This was cause of the compass, but their invention of easily movable sails was another contributing factor. 2,000 years before the European discovery of sails, Chinese kites were invented. Kites were not made for children, but were used as important military communication systems. Historians also believed that the complicated moving technology behind was allowed for the Chinese to develop the first moving sails. These moving sails permitted ships to sail into the wind for the very first time. Mariners around the world rivaled the Chinese technology and put it to good use. Till now, present day we use this very important naval invention.
The five inventions shaped our world. Without these inventions, present day would not have been the same. These inventions have taught us many thing and helped us through life. It is difficult to imagine life today, Moreover, Chinese history and traditions still remain alive and well in so many aspects of our lives. As China becomes a more important cause on the international stage, Chinese culture is finally being recognized as important for us all to know in history.