Chinese Inventions Have Resulted in Some Incredible Innovations
It might be difficult for westerners to perceive that Chinese inventions have been responsible for some of the most important innovations to come about, but the fact is that this is completely true. The Chinese have suffered under the stereotypical belief by others that they are not technologically accomplished. Just for started however, and these are not all, the Chinese invented spaghetti, the wheelbarrow, the water powered blast furnace, kits, chopstick, paper, gunpowder the seismograph, the crossbow, a plethora of weapons and armaments including tear gas, paper money, chess, the compass..need I go on?
The four most important discoveries by the Chinese which influenced the western world to a huge degree were spaghetti, paper money, chopsticks and whiskey (joke), no they were actually gunpowder, paper and printing and the compass.
Chinese alchemists played a major role in the development of gunpowder, and this invention has probably had the biggest impact of any other discovery. It formed the basis for all armaments, and waging war. It was accidentally discovered in the Tang Dynasty, while and alchemist was trying to create the elixir of life. However this was only one of many military innovations, there was the grid sight, tear gas, mustard gas, rockets, bombs and even a small version of the cannon.
In 105 AD Cai Lun was responsible for the invention of paper, he was a Chinese Eunuch (please don’t make me explain what this means). And this was one of the greatest Chinese inventions. During the Battle of Talas River in 751, some Chinese paper makers were captured by the Arabs and this is how paper making came to be known to the world, by a process of enculturation.
Originally the compass was invented for religious purposes. When a new house was built the Chinese used a compass to ensure that the house was facing perfectly in harmony with nature. In other words, that it faced true North. The compass started life at a marked wooden circle which balanced a magnetic spoon on the top. We all know what an impact the compass has had on navigation techniques through the centuries.
Chinese medicine and their wide ranging pharmacopeias are well known throughout the world. Acupuncture also came from China, and it is believe that as far back as 4000 years ago in the New Stone Age, Chinese physicians were familiar with brain surgery. Skulls which have tested this ancient by Carbon dating, have been found to have indications that some kind of surgery took place after which the patient survived for some time.
The Chinese invented a lot of stuff that has an impact on our everyday life. We can go on and on but the above is probably good enough for now.