In today's market it is difficult to find products that are not made in China. Almost everything we use is made in China. Here, too, the labor force is much cheaper than in other countries, and people can come up with things that no one else can do. The best and most popular toys were invented by the Chinese, innovative household appliances, again, were 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.
Porcelain heritage
Chinese porcelain products are extremely valued all over the world. Having such dishes at home means demonstrating your impeccable taste to others. Such things are valued for their unsurpassed quality and amazing beauty. Translated from Persianthe word "porcelain" means "king". And this is true. In the XIII century in European countries, porcelain from the Middle Kingdom was an incredible value. The most influential persons in their treasuries 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 abilities: if poison was added to food, it would change its shade. Thus, the most famous invention made in ancient China is, as you might guess, porcelain.
In the second millennium BC. e. (Tang period) ceramics appears, which is of historical and artistic value. A little later, proto-porcelain appeared, which did not have the characteristic whiteness and transparency. But the Chinese consider this material to be true porcelain, while Western art historians classify it as stone masses.
Ancient China (the inventions of one of the most ancient states aroused and still arouse great interest) gave the world a real matte white porcelain. At the very beginning of the 7th century, ceramists from the Middle Kingdom learned how to make porcelain masses by mixing kaolin, feldspar and silicon. During the reign of the Song Dynasty, Chinese ceramic production flourished.
The advent of cast iron
Already in the IV Art. BC e. in the Celestial Empire, the technology of iron smelting was known. From the same period, and perhaps even earlier, the Chinese began to use coal as a fuel, which provided a high temperature. It is in suchIn a state like ancient China (achievements and inventions are described in our article), the following method for producing cast iron was developed: iron ore was piled into melting crucibles, shaped like a pipe. The containers themselves were lined with coal and set on fire. This technology guaranteed the absence of sulfur.
Cast iron was used to make iron knives, chisels, plowshares, axes and other tools. Such material was not disdained in the production of toys. Thanks to their iron smelting technology, the Chinese cast trays and pots with incredibly thin walls.
Deeper, even deeper
In a state like ancient China, whose achievements and inventions are 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 ground, the depth of which reached one and a half thousand meters. The drilling rigs in use today operate on a principle similar to that of the ancient Chinese. But in those distant times, the towers for fixing the tool reached a height of 60 meters. Workers in the middle of the required area to guide the tool laid stones with holes. Today, guide tubes are used for this purpose.
Then, using hemp ropes and bamboo power structures, the craftsmen regularly lowered and raised the iron drill. This was done until the required depth was reached, at which the layer lay.natural gas. It was subsequently used as fuel in the s alt production process.
North or East
You can list the inventions of Ancient China for a long time. The compass is worth mentioning in their first five. Since ancient times, the Chinese have known about the existence of a magnet. In III Art. BC e. the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire became aware that it can attract iron. Just as early, they guessed that this material is able to indicate which side the south and north are. Presumably, the first compass was invented at the same time. True, then it resembled a magnetic spoon that rotated around its own axis and was placed in the center of a device that looked like 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 11th century, instead of a magnet, the Chinese began to use magnetized iron or steel. At this time, the water compass was also very popular. Ancient China, whose inventions are truly amazing and unique, is a state where such a device was used in the following way: a magnetized steel arrow 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 figurine pointed only to the south. Over time, the fish succumbed to modifications and became an ordinary compass needle.
Stirrups
Horse riding people started a long time ago. And for a long time they rode horseswithout leg support. Stirrups were not then known to either the Babylonians, or the Medes, or the Greeks, or other ancient peoples. When driving fast, people had to cling to the horse's mane so as not to fall. But the great inventions of ancient China would not have had such an honorable title if they really did not deserve it. In the third century, the Chinese figured out how to avoid such inconveniences. At that time, they were considered incredibly gifted metallurgists, and therefore iron and bronze began to be used to cast stirrups. Unfortunately, the name of the person who invented this item has not been preserved. But it was in the Celestial Empire that they learned to cast stirrups from metal, and they had an ideal shape.
If there were no paper
Ancient China, whose inventions deserve respect, ushered in a new era in book development. The Chinese succeeded in inventing paper and printing. The oldest hieroglyphic texts date back to 3200 BC. e. During the period of the Six Dynasties, lithography was discovered in the Celestial Empire. First, the text was engraved on stone, and then an impression was made on paper. In the 8th century AD, paper began to be used instead of stone. This is how engraving and woodcuts appeared.
According to legend, the inventor of paper was Cai Lun, a servant of the emperor's harem. He lived during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Historical sources claim that Cai used tree bark, fishing nets and rags to make paper. This is the creation the servant presented to his emperor. Since then, paper has been firmly established in life.humanity and has become an indispensable attribute of its existence.
Chinese silk
For centuries, Western countries have known China exclusively as a silk producer. Even in deep, deep antiquity, the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire possessed the secrets of making this wonderful material. Xi Ling, 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 Ancient Chinese" would be incomplete without mentioning such a substance as gunpowder. Even in the first centuries of our era, alchemists from the Celestial Empire learned how to extract a mixture of sulfur and s altpeter, which, together with coal, is the basis for the chemical formula of gunpowder. This discovery was a little ironic. And all because the Chinese were trying to get a substance, thanks to which it would be possible to gain immortality. But instead, they created something that takes life.
Gunpowder was used to power weapons and for domestic purposes. Well, everything is clear with the war, but what about the peaceful life? What is the use of such a dangerous substance? It turns out that when outbreaks of a particular disease (epidemic) were observed, gunpowder played the role of a disinfectant. Powder treated a variety of ulcers and wounds on the body. They also poisoned insects.
More innovations
Ancient China (the inventions described above) boasts moreand other discoveries. So, for example, it was the inhabitants of the Celestial Empire who invented fireworks, without which not a single solemn event takes place today. The seismoscope also first appeared in ancient China. Tea, beloved by many gourmets, has been grown and prepared in this country. A crossbow, a mechanical clock, a horse harness, an iron plow and many other useful items have also appeared here.
