The invention of gunpowder occurred in the Tang Dynasty, sometime between 600 and 800 AD. As knowledge of chemistry increased, Chinese scientists attempted to produce an elixir of immortality. In the process, they stumbled upon an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter, which was then developed into gunpowder.
Gunpowder was first used in fireworks, but during the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368) it became common in military use.
Printing
Block Printing first appeared in the Tang dynasty. In this form of printing, entire pages of text were carved at once into blocks of wood that were used as stamps to reproduce books. However, this process was time-consuming and took a lot of materials, as a new block had to be carved for every page in a book.
Bi Sheng invented moveable type during the Song dynasty, using individual clay blocks each with one character per block. By the year 1000 paged books had replaced scrolls, and by the 1440’s Gutenberg had invented moveable type made of metal.
Paper
Paper first appeared in the Western Han dynasty (206 BC-23 AD), but it was very thick and coarse in texture. The earliest existing piece of paper was found in a Han tomb in Gansu Province and dates back to this time period.
Papermaking became an art, which spread to Korea and Japan first, followed by the Arab countries via the Silk Road. Finally, the art was brought to Europe, where, in the fourteenth century it was milled in Italy as an export.
Compass
The Chinese invented the compass during the Warring States Period (206 BC-23AD). The first compass was made using naturally magnetic substance called lodestone. The spoon in the middle of the compass is made of lodestone, and functions as a compass because the spoon’s handle always points to the south.
Later, during the Tang and Song dynasties, the Chinese began to magnetize iron needles, which could then be floated on water, the way modern compasses work.
information gathered from: ChinaCulture.org
No comments:
Post a Comment