...Ancient Chinese Inventions Nancy LeFever Strayer University Dr. Rick Foster Hum111 World Cultures I March 2, 2014 Civilization dawned in China centuries before it took root in the West. Within these centuries many wonderful things came into being, things that today we use and sometimes take for granted. Ancient times could not have been easy; everything was done the hard way until something was created to make the task easier. “Necessity is the mother of invention” spoke Plato. The Chinese are and have been great inventors, contributing hundreds of incredible items throughout the ages. A debate on which Chinese inventions are the best or greatest of all has been ongoing for many years. Although the top ten seem to be somewhat the same, the order in which they are listed is different depending on who is cataloging them. Some say that alcohol is the #1 invention while others contend that gunpowder or the compass is at the top. There are so many to choose from, it is a difficult task to determine which Chinese invention is the most important. Since the inventions are scattered among different areas of life: homemaking has the teapot, pasta and the toothbrush; sailing has the movable rudder and the batten sail; war has gunpowder, the crossbow (not to mention the repeating crossbow), the exploding cannonball and landmines; finance has paper money, the bank note, the abacus; agriculture has the iron plow and the seed drill, different inventions mean more to one person...
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...The Most Useful Ancient Chinese Inventions Clarence Grant III Strayer University Humanities 111 Professor Greg Moore December 2, 2012 The Most Useful Ancient Chinese Inventions Early Chinese civilization invented numerous basic and vital necessities that are presently used around the world. Some of the most valuable ancient Chinese inventions include but are not limited to the following: silk, printing, paper, mathematics, Seismograph, the compass, gunpowder, bamboo and medicine (About.com, 2012). To me, of the four innovations listed I would select the following inventions: medicine, gunpowder, paper and printing. One of the Chinese culture’s first inventions was paper. During the 2nd century the earliest form of paper was made from hemp fibers. Even before the end of the ancient times, the Chinese had already acquired a level of expertise with papermaking. During the Qin (221-206 BC) and Western Han (206 BC -220 AD) dynasties, the art of making floss (rough silk) from inferior cocoon was greatly utilized. The basic process of making the floss (named Piao Xu) included continuous “thrashes” and “stamp crushing” (which involved a mill for crushing). Afterwards, the same procedure was used in papermaking. During ancient times, Chinese people used limewater or plant ash water to separate raw silk from the gum component. This system paved the way for future papermaking, which utilizes degumming vegetable fiber in the papermaking process (ChinaCulture.org...
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...The Ancient Chinese culture was a very successful culture that created many inventions and contributed to the advancement of not only the Chinese civilization but also to the civilization of the world. In the history of the world there has been many important inventions, Ancient Chinese were great inventors. This essay will point out some of the great inventions that Chinese culture introduced to the world. The impact that these inventions have made in our day to day lives and how without these inventions the world would have not enhanced and progress the way it has. These are eight inventions that Chinese has contributed to the world and their usefulness. ) Identify eight to ten of these useful inventions or contributions. . The top ten inventions and contributions and inventions by the Ancient Chinese included: the wheelbarrow, seismograph, paper, compass, gun powder, map, glazed pottery, hot air balloons, and silk. The ten most useful contributions that the ancient Chinese made in our contemporary society were: paper money, kites, iron and bronze, gunpowder, printing press, umbrellas, clocks, compasses, porcelain, and alcohol (Yinke, 2009). (2) Nominate four that you believe are the most ingenious or innovative. However, out of those ten, the four most significant innovations are paper money, gunpowder, printing press, and clocks. (3) Explain why you believe these four inventions or contributions are the most useful inventions or contributions from the ancient Chinese...
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...ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS HUM111/032VA016-1128-001 December 22, 2012 ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS Ancient China has a glorious history and it is well known that China is the main source of a lot of innovative and ingenious inventions. They have invented things that we as modern Americans continue to use and depend on today. It seems as though the Ancient Chinese were extremely inventive and people all around the globe owe them an awful lot. The Ancient Chinese has given us inventions that have continued to shape the world, as we know it, today. Most of the things that we depend on today basically began with our Asian counterparts. The Ancient Chinese have contributed to the world the compass, papermaking, the movable-type print, gunpowder, porcelain, the mechanical clock, toilet paper, and silk. These inventions are just to name a few; however, the four most ingenious and innovative inventions made by the Ancient Chinese are the compass, papermaking, the movable-type print and gunpowder. First of all, the compass, invented by the Ancient Chinese in 220 BCE, was supposed to be able to harmonize environments and buildings in accordance with the geometric principles (cultural-china.com, 2007-2010). Originally, the compasses were not built for navigation, but the spoon shaped compass made of magnetic ore with a bronze plate which dated back to the Han Dynasty, was used to determine the best location ad time for a burial (Silverman, n.a.). The compass...
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...Ancient China was a government ruled by dynasties and for many years China was eventually united under one of the regional kings; the first emperor was Qin Shi Huang, in 221 BC. China's long history has seen many extremely important ancient inventions and tremendous contributions to the world's economy and the culture of mankind. They were also important symbols of China's role as a great world civilization. Ancient China has many inventions and contributions, the 10 useful ones are identified as follows; Paper making is believed to be invented first in China. The proper paper making is one of the China's significant contributions to the development of human civilization. The paper was first made during the Western Han Dynasty (202 BC). Another invention was a movable typing printing. The world's first printings were invented in China in the Tang Dynasty (618－907 BC). Chinese began to print mainly with carved blocks. Gunpowder is a mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate. It was used in firearms and as a pyrotechnic in fireworks. It was a useful invention that contributed to the advancement of generating large amount of heat and gas. Chinese also invented the compass. A compass is a navigational instrument that shows directions in a frame of reference that is stationary relative to the surface of the earth. The first compasses were invented for harmonize environments and buildings in accordance with the geometric principles. The invention...
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...December 2013 Ancient Chinese Inventions What do you think about when you think of Chinese contributions and inventions? This paper will show that, the contributions of ancient Chinese culture dates back thousands of years. It is known that China has an ancient and well known history which traces back to Chinese culture. Ancient Chinese inventions and contributions have contributed to America’s society by helping jobs to exist, fighting wars and the everyday life of a modern society today. Ancient China has contributed to ancient and modern society in many ways. I will identify nine of ancient China contributions and inventions that we still use today. Row Planting was the planting of crops in rows sometime in the 6th century. This technique allows the crops to grow faster and stronger. Farmers normally would adhere to this. The Seed Drill was another invention that was used in 202 BC – 220 AD. The Seed Drill is used to plant seeds into the soil at a uniform depth and covers it. I’m pretty sure this has save abundant amounts of time out in the fields. Many years ago and in modern time, people planted and grew all their vegetables. Not to mention if someone does not grow it, we will not have it. Growing is the only way to produce fruits and vegetables, so this invention in a good one. Toilet paper was another invention and great contribution. One of the first recorded accounts of using hygienic paper was during the Sui Dynasty in 589. In ancient Chinese history, I recall...
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...Assignment 2 Ancient Chinese Contributions Professor Capers May 25, 2014 Identify Eight of the Useful Ancient Chinese Inventions 1. Alcohol, the earliest alcohol makers in Chinese legend were Yi Di and Dukang of the Xia Dynasty (about 2000 BC – 1600 BC). 2. Mechanical Clock, the mechanical clock is an invention we all use today. 3. Tea Production, according to Chinese legend, tea was first drunk by the Chinese Emperor Shen Nong around 2,737 BC. 4. Silk, it is silkworms that naturally create silk, however, it is Chinese people that invented how to harvest the silk and use it in clothing and paper thousands years ago. 5. Iron and Steel Smelting, it has been confirmed by archaeological evidence that iron, made from melting pig iron, was developed in ancient China in the early 5th century. 6. Porcelain is a very specific kind of ceramic produced in the extreme temperatures of a kiln. 7. Compass, the earliest Chinese compasses were probably not originally invented for navigation, but to harmonize environments and buildings in accordance with the geometric principles of Feng Shui. 8. Gunpowder, known since the late 19th century as black powder, is a mixture of sulfur, charlcoal and potassium nitrate. (Lin Liyao, 2011) The 4 most useful Inventions of Ancient Chinese Culture 1. The invention of the compass 2. The invention of paper 3. The invention of gunpowder 4. The invention of alcohol Why these 4 inventions are most useful...
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...The Inventions of the Ancient Chinese To win a trip to China I have to enter a contest to determine the four most useful inventions in Chinese history. In this I will determine eight to ten inventions and nominate the four that I believe to be the most ingenious of all. The first of these inventions is that of silk; which although silk is known to be created naturally through silkworms, China invented how to gather the silk and use it in clothing and paper. Silk was vital to the Ancient Chinese economy because Europe imported a large amount of silk. The creation of silk permitted China to associate with the outside world through trade and led to the creation of the Silk Road. Silk was unique to Ancient China and allowed them to interact with the world up until the silkworm eggs were smuggled out of China and into Europe (Country Facts, 2010). The second invention of the Ancient Chinese was gunpowder; which when we think about it today we associate it with military use and weaponry, but in Ancient China it was invented by the Taoist monks who through the use of alchemy was searching for the answer to human immortality. The Chinese word for gunpowder actually translates directly as flaming medicine. The search for immortality had failed but the mixture of sulphur, saltpeter and charcoal which the monks used was early gunpowder and it was not originally used for purposes of weapons and military, but for signal flares and fireworks. As the Ancient Chinese military grew they began...
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...ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS 1 Assignment 2: Ancient Chinese Contributions Thomas R. Felix Strayer University Humanities 111 Professor Aprile Castagna March 05, 2013 ANCIENT CHINESE CONTRIBUTIONS 2 The Ancient Chinese culture was a very successful culture that created many inventions and contributed to the advancement of not only the Chinese civilization but also to the civilization of the world. According to Henry Sayre, the Qin Dynasty, which was said to exist from 221BCE until 206 BCE, was the first empire in China to rise to dominance; however, the Han Dynasty was given credit for the most Ancient Chinese contributions and inventions (Sayre, 2012). The Han Dynasty existed from 206 BCE until 220 CE, and during the Han Dynasty contributions and inventions by the Ancient Chinese included: the wheelbarrow, seismograph, paper, compass, map, glazed pottery, hot air balloons, and silk. While the Ancient Chinese made many contributions and inventions for the world, the four most useful are the wheelbarrow, the seismograph, paper, and the map. Today the wheelbarrow is commonly used for farming, gardening, and construction work such as moving dirt, bricks, mulch. It is suitable for many jobs because it allows the weight of the contents to be evenly distributed between the wheel and the operator. For many of the same purposes...
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...| Ancient Chinese Contributions | Humanities 111/Professor Michael Curran | by | Rayshawn J. | 11/22/2011 | Ancient Chinese inventions have had a huge impact on the modern world as we know it. Numerous technological and cultural advancements have spawned off from the inventions derived from Ancient China, which spans over thousands of years ago. A lot of the inventions really attest to how more advanced Ancient China was in science and technology. In the world today, they still symbolize excellence to many of the Chinese people of modern day just as much as they did then. People all over the globe have found many of the inventions to be quite useful, fulfilling several purposes and aiding a number of causes. Although Ancient China is credited for the creation of a large number of inventions, there are eight that are I feel are some of the most identifiable. The inventions are paper making, the woodblock printing technique, gun powder, the compass, porcelain, the spinning wheel, the mechanical clock, and the seismograph. Early on in Ancient China, around 2700 B.C., the Chinese had created a written based language. This language was initially composed on strips of wood and bamboo. They would use wooden blocks and flatten out the bamboo so that they could write on them, but wood and bamboo often used up too much space and them difficult to store up. As a result, a better and more economical alternative had to be made. It wasn't until 105 A.D. that the use...
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...continue to grow while others have fallen. Out of all civilizations in history, Chinese history is the longest lasting as it goes back to more than 3000 years. Out of all Chinese history, Ancient China is the most remembered. Ancient China’s great wisdom enabled them to become one of the most successful civilizations. This was proven through their flourishing economy, organized political structure and modern innovations. The mark of every new dynasty would be the mark of a new economic advancement for the ancient Chinese civilization. The Han dynasty is when we first see Ancient China economically flourish because of their clever tactics. In the Han dynasty they created what is called the Silk Road, which enabled trading from China to neighbouring countries such as Greece, India, The Persian Empire, and Rome. This Silk Road enabled them to trade silk and import gold which expanded their trade greatly. The Silk Road also helped in providing new cultural ideas to ancient China from other civilizations to further improve. Another resource that promoted the growth of the industry in Han China was Iron. Iron weapons equipped the imperial army and iron tools also helped produce the grain that helped feed the soldiers. The Silk Road enabled ancient China to expand its economic powers by trading north, south, east and west to all countries. Many other civilizations did not look to expand their trading while as ancient China were clever enough to do so. By expanding, their economy flourished...
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...Ancient China was extremely advanced and many of its discoveries are still in use today’s world. Perhaps the Chinese has contributed more to the advancement of human kind than any other ancient culture. They have contributed to our world civilization’s achievements in the fields of agriculture, shipping, astronomy, printing, oil, martial arts, ammunition and mathematics. Ancient Chinese inventions such as gunpowder, silk, paper, printing, tea, wheel barrow, iron plows, deep drilling, porcelain, toilet paper and the compass were and still are important pieces of Chinese and global life. These inventions were major blocks in the building of the world as we know today. The four main innovations which I consider to be essential aspects of our contemporary lives are paper, printing, gun powder, and compass. Certainly the most important invention of Chinese culture is paper. The invention of paper was a great contribution to both the Chinese and the world civilization. According to Sayre, it was in the year 105 A.D during the Han dynasty, that the invention of the paper was first reported by Cai Lun. Paper made of hemp had been used by the Han for over 200 years, but Cai Lun improved both the techniques and the quality of the paper by using verity of materials such as, tree bark, hemp and rags. The basic principles of papermaking invented by Cai Lun are still in use today (Sayre, 2012, p.226). Before the invention of paper, characters were written on animal bones, turtle backs...
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...Ancient Chinese Contributions The world is forever in debt to China for its innovations and contributions. Ancient Chinese inventions were extremely advanced and are still in use in today. They have contributed to our world civilization’s achievements in the fields of agriculture, shipping, astronomy, printing, oil, martial arts, ammunition, and mathematics. Ancient Chinese inventions such as gunpowder, silk, paper, printing, tea, wheel barrow, iron plows, deep drilling, porcelain, toilet paper and the compass were and still are important pieces of Chinese and global life. These inventions were major blocks in the building of the world that we know today. The four main innovations that I consider essential in our lives are printing, gunpowder, compass, and paper. The method of printing and woodblock, or movable, printing are considered ancient Chinese inventions. This ancient Chinese invention was seen before the first dated book in 868 (Lad). Printing books was time-consuming, as the blackline method used required a new block to be carved for each page. Movable type in printing was invented during the Song Dynasty. Movable Chinese characters were carved from wood, which could be arranged as needed and even reused. Later versions used clay, but these broke easily. During the Ming Dynasty, the wooden movable type was refined and books were printed using the two-color printing process. After the development of paper, printing was one of the most important inventions...
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...Since I came to china for study, I got the opportunity to learn more about the success of china’s economic development as well as the negative externalities of the development and also the problem related to higher population. I have also learned about Chinese culture, language, the interesting dynasties (kingdoms) and the Chinese people’s way of life. However, the most interesting thing I learned about china was contribution from ancient Chinese science and technological inventions to the world. Since there are a lot of ancient Chinese inventions, in this essay I would like to give information about some of the very interesting and useful ten ancient Chinese inventions that I believe we cannot imagine without them today. 1. Toilet Paper Toilet paper was one of the very important Chinese inventions that we cannot imagine living our life without. Toilet paper was used in China for the first time in history during 6th century AD. In 589 AD a famous scholar Yan Zhitui wrote about the use of toilet paper and the word spread throughout China and toilet paper became popular in China. 2. Ice Cream Ice cream, our favourite treat is another surprising invention in ancient China. It became a new invention 3000 years ago when rich Chinese families started to treat their guests to sweet juices mixed with snow or ice. Marco Polo brought it to Europe and it became popular in the world. 3. Paper Paper is one of the major contributions to spread development of human civilisation in the world...
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...Ancient Chinese Contributions Elizabeth Finch Professor Karen Lewis HUM 111-World Culture 1 November 26, 2011 Ancient China has played a significant part in many famous inventions that have had a major impact in our lives from day to day. No matter how small they seem to be their inventions have helped us in so many ways that we have taken for granted. How many of us have ever given a thought to those that have made our lives easier by their inventions? There are quite a few from the Ancient Chinese that I was not aware of and was amazed at how many of these we do use in our lives every day and never stop to think where these items were invented. So what are some of the amazing things the Ancient Chinese have invented? 1) Row planting was first planted in the feudal period-6th century BC. This way of planting allows the crops to grow faster and stronger and they also realized that as the wind travels there is less damage in crops planted in rows due to the wind passing through gently. It is also more efficient in watering, weeding and harvesting the crops. (Stevenh) 2) The compass was created in the feudal period-4th century BC and was made of lodestone. The compass was first used by fortune-tellers before it was applied to the cardinal direction. Then the Chinese’s started using the compass to point to the south because they considered south not north their cardinal direction. 3) Gunpowder has been credited to certain Chinese alchemists around 9th century...
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