In today's market, it is difficult to find products that are not made in China. Almost everything that we use is done in China. Here, labor is much cheaper than in other countries, and people can come up with something that no one else can do. The best and most popular toys were invented by the Chinese, innovative household appliances, again, was born in China. In a word, even in the deep past, the state was known precisely for its technical and other achievements. The discoveries and inventions of Ancient China formed the basis of modern production and became the prototype of many objects known to everyone today.
China heritage
Chinese porcelain products are extremely appreciated all over the world. To have such utensils at home is to show others their impeccable taste. Such things are valued for their unsurpassed quality and amazing beauty. Translated from the Persian language, the word "porcelain" means "king." And this is truly so. In the XIII century in European countries, porcelain from the Middle Kingdom was an incredible value. The most influential people in their treasures kept samples of ceramic Chinese art, framed in a frame of gold. And the inhabitants of Iran and India were sure that Chinese porcelain was endowed with magical possibilities: if poison was mixed in food, then it would change its color. Thus, the most famous invention made in ancient China is, as you might guess, porcelain.
In the second millennium BC e. (Tang period) appears ceramics, which is of historical and artistic value. A little later protofarfor appeared, which does not have a characteristic whiteness and transparency. But the Chinese consider this material to be true porcelain, while Western art historians attribute it to the stone masses.
Ancient China (the inventions of one of the most ancient states aroused and still cause great interest) gave the world real matte white porcelain. At the very beginning of the 7th century, ceramists from the Celestial Empire learned to obtain porcelain by mixing kaolin, feldspar and silicon. During the reign of the Song Dynasty , Chinese ceramic industry flourished.
The appearance of cast iron
Already in the IV century. BC e. In the Middle Kingdom, the technology of smelting cast iron was known. From the same period, and maybe even earlier, the Chinese began to use coal as a fuel, which provided high temperature. It was in such a state as ancient China (the achievements and inventions are described in our article) that the following method for producing cast iron was developed: iron ore was stacked in melting crucibles, shaped like a pipe . The containers themselves were lined with charcoal and set fire to it. This technology guaranteed the absence of sulfur.
Cast iron was used to make iron knives, chisels, plowshares for plows, axes and other tools. Such material was not disdained in the manufacture of toys. Thanks to their cast iron smelting technology, the Chinese cast trays and pots with incredibly thin walls.
Deeper, deeper
In a state such as ancient China, the achievements and inventions of which are still actively used to this day, the method of deep well drilling was invented. It happened in the first century BC. The invented method made it possible to drill holes in the soil, the depth of which reached one and a half thousand meters. The drilling rigs used today operate on a principle similar to what the ancient Chinese came up with. But in those days, towers for securing the instrument reached a height of 60 meters. Workers in the middle of the necessary territory for the direction of the tool stacked stones with holes. Today, guiding tubes are used for this purpose.
Then, using hemp ropes and bamboo power structures, the craftsmen regularly lowered and raised a drill made of iron. This was done until the required depth was reached, at which the natural gas layer lay. It was subsequently used as fuel in the salt production process.
North or east
You can long list the inventions of ancient China. The compass is worth mentioning in their first five. From ancient times, the Chinese knew about the existence of a magnet. In III art. BC e. the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire became aware that it can attract iron. They also guessed early that this material is able to indicate which side the south and north are. Presumably, the first compass was also invented at the same time. True, then it resembled a magnetic spoon, which revolved around its own axis and was located in the center of a device similar to a stand made of wood or copper. And the dividing line on the device indicated the cardinal points. The spoon regularly pointed south. Such an apparatus was called the “spoon that rules the world.”
In the XI century, instead of a magnet, the Chinese began to use magnetized iron or steel. At this time, a water compass was also very popular . Ancient China, whose inventions are truly amazing and unique, is a state where they used such a device as follows: a magnetized arrow made of steel was lowered into a vessel with water. It was made in the shape of a fish and reached six centimeters in length. The head of the figure pointed only to the south. Over time, the fish succumbed to modifications and became an ordinary compass needle.
Stirrups
People started horseback riding a long time ago. And for a long time they rode on horses without leg support. The stirrups were not known then to the Babylonians, nor to the Medes, nor to the Greeks, nor to other ancient peoples. With a fast ride, people had to cling to a horse's mane, so as not to fall. But the great inventions of Ancient China would not be so honored if they really did not deserve it. In the III century, the Chinese figured out how to avoid such inconvenience. At that time they were considered incredibly gifted metallurgists, and therefore began to use iron and bronze for casting stirrups. Unfortunately, the name of the person who invented this item has not been preserved. But it was in the Middle Kingdom that they learned to cast stirrups from metal, and they had an ideal shape.
If there was no paper
Ancient China, the inventions of which deserve respect, opened a new era in book development. The Chinese managed to invent paper and printing. The oldest hieroglyphic texts date back to 3200 BC. e. During the Six Dynasties in the Middle Kingdom, lithography was discovered. First, the text was knocked out on a stone, and then a print was made on paper. In the 8th century AD, paper was used instead of stone. So there was an engraving and woodcut.
According to legend, the inventor of the paper was Tsai Lun, the minister of the emperor’s harem. He lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Historical sources claim that Tsai used wood bark, fishing nets, and rags to make paper. Such a creation the servant presented to his emperor. Since then, paper has firmly entered the life of mankind and has become an indispensable attribute of its existence.
Chinese silk
For many centuries, western countries have known China exclusively as a silk producer. Even in ancient times, the inhabitants of the Middle Kingdom possessed the secrets of making this wonderful material. Xi Lin, the wife of Emperor Huang Di, taught Chinese girls how to grow silkworms, process silk, and weave fabric from the resulting threads.
The most famous invention
A list called "Inventions of the inhabitants of Ancient China" would not be complete without mentioning a substance such as gunpowder. Even in the first centuries of our era, alchemists from the Middle Kingdom learned to extract a mixture of sulfur and nitrate, which together with coal is the basis for the chemical formula of gunpowder. This discovery was a bit ironic. And all because the Chinese tried to get a substance, thanks to which it would be possible to gain immortality. But instead, they created what life takes.
Gunpowder was used to power weapons and for domestic purposes. Well, with the war everything is clear, but what about a peaceful life? What use have found such a dangerous substance? It turns out that when outbreaks of a disease (epidemic) were observed, gunpowder played the role of a disinfectant. Powder treated a variety of ulcers and wounds on the body. He was poisoned by insects.
Some more innovations
Ancient China (inventions described above) boasts other discoveries. So, for example, it was the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire who invented fireworks, without which today no solemn event takes place. A seismoscope also first appeared in ancient China. Beloved by many gourmets, tea was learned to grow and make in this country. And here appeared a crossbow, a mechanical watch, a horse harness, an iron plow and many other useful items.