 A four-horse chariot with a parasol from the Terracotta Army of Qin Shi Huang's tomb (interred by 210 BC); the Chinese were the first to invent the collapsible umbrella. China has been the source of some of the world's most significant inventions, including the Four Great Inventions of ancient China: paper, the compass, gunpowder, and printing (both woodblock and movable type). The list below contains these and other inventions which first appeared in China. It does not include foreign-born technologies which the Chinese cultural realm acquired through contact, such as sugarcane production from 7th-century India or the telescope from Early modern Europe. It also does not include technologies which were originally invented elsewhere but were later invented separately by the Chinese in their own right, such as bronze production or the chain pump. Since the Chinese did not first invent the concepts of writing or the calendar, Chinese inventions such as Chinese writing and the Chinese calendar do not need to be mentioned or described. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 785 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1600 × 1200 pixel, file size: 785 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
The Terracotta WARRIORS (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: bīngmǎ yǒng; literally soldier and horse funerary statues) are the Terracotta Warriors and Horses of Shi Huang Di the First Emperor of China. ...
The monarch known now as Qin Shi Huang (Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Chin Shih-huang) (259 BCE – September 10, 210 BCE),[1] personal name YÃng Zhèng, was king of the Chinese State of Qin from 247 BCE to 221 BCE (officially still under the Zhou Dynasty), and...
In music, an invention is a short composition with two or three part counterpoint. ...
The five major steps in ancient Chinese papermaking, as outlined by Cai Lun in 105 AD The Four Great Inventions of ancient China (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: , meaning four great inventions) are, according to Chinese tradition and the British scholar and biochemist Joseph Needham: The Compass[1] Gunpowder Papermaking...
For other uses, see Paper (disambiguation). ...
This article is about the navigational instrument. ...
A modern black powder substitute for muzzleloading rifles in FFG size Gunpowder (also called black powder) is a pyrotechnic composition, an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre or saltpeter) that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as...
For the article on the development of printing in Europe, see History of western typography. ...
Yuan Dynasty woodblock edition of a Chinese play For the use of the technique in art, see Woodcut on the technique, and Old master print for the history in Europe and woodblock printing in Japan. ...
For the weblog software, see Movable Type. ...
Species Saccharum arundinaceum Saccharum bengalense Saccharum edule Saccharum officinarum Saccharum procerum Saccharum ravennae Saccharum robustum Saccharum sinense Saccharum spontaneum Sugarcane or Sugar cane (Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae, tribe Andropogoneae), native to warm temperate to tropical...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
The early modern period is a term used by historians to refer to the period in Western Europe and its first colonies which spans the two centuries between the Middle Ages and the Industrial Revolution. ...
This article is about the metal alloy. ...
The chain pump is a type of water pump where an endless chain has positioned on it a series of circular discs. ...
Various styles of Chinese calligraphy. ...
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. ...
The Chinese invented original technologies involving mechanics, hydraulics, and mathematics applied to horology, metallurgy, engineering, manufacturing, astronomy, nautics, and warfare. The rise of a sophisticated economic system in China gave birth to inventions such as the use of paper money during the Song Dynasty (960–1279). The invention of gunpowder by at least the 10th century led to an array of unique inventions such as the fire lance, land mine, naval mine, the hand cannon, exploding cannonballs, and the multistage rocket. With the navigational aid of the 11th-century compass and ability to steer at high sea with the 1st-century stern-post rudder, premodern Chinese sailors sailed as far as East Africa and Egypt.[1][2][3] A £20 Bank of England banknote. ...
For other uses, see Liu Song Dynasty. ...
The fire lance (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: huÇ’ qiÄng) or fire spear is one of the first gunpowder weapons in the world. ...
“Minefield†redirects here. ...
Polish wz. ...
Hand cannon from the Chinese Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368). ...
Shells of WWI. From left to right: 90 mm fragmentation shell - 120 mm pig iron incendiary shell 77/14 model - 75 mm high explosive shell model 16 - 75 mm fragmentation shell A shell is a payload-carrying projectile, which, as opposed to a bullet, contains an explosive or other filling...
The second stage of a Minuteman III rocket A multistage (or multi-stage) rocket is a rocket that uses two or more stages, each of which contains its own engines and propellant. ...
Stern-mounted steering oar of an Egyptian riverboat depicted in the Tomb of Menna (c. ...
Eastern Africa (UN subregion) East African Community Central African Federation (defunct) Geographic East Africa, including the UN subregion and East African Community East Africa or Eastern Africa is the easternmost region of the African continent, variably defined by geography or geopolitics. ...
The contemporaneous Peiligang and Pengtoushan cultures represent the oldest Neolithic cultures of China and were formed sometime around 7000 BC.[4] Some of the first inventions of Neolithic, pre-historic China include semilunar and rectangular stone knives, stone hoes and spades, the cultivation of millet, rice and the soybean, the refinement of sericulture, the building of rammed earth structures with lime-plastered house floors, the creation of the potter's wheel, the creation of pottery with cord-mat-basket designs, the creation of pottery tripods and pottery steamers, and the development of ceremonial vessels and scapulimancy for purposes of divination.[5][6] Francesca Bray argues that the domestication of the ox and buffalo during the Longshan culture (c. 3000 – c. 2000 BC) period, the absence of Longshan-era irrigation or high-yield crops, full evidence of Longshan cultivation of dry-land cereal crops which gave high yields "only when the soil was carefully cultivated," suggest that the plow was known at least by the Longshan culture period and explains the high agricultural production yields which allowed the rise of Chinese civilization during the Shang Dynasty (c. 1600 – c. 1050 BC).[7] With later inventions such as the multiple-tube seed drill and heavy moldboard iron plow, China's agricultural output could sustain a much larger population. The Peiligang culture (裴æŽå´—文化) is a name given by archaeologists to a group of Neolithic communities who lived in the Yiluo river valley in Henan Province, China. ...
The Pengtoushan culture (å½é 山文化) (7500-6100 BC [1]) was a Neolithic culture centered primarily around the central Yangtze River region in northwestern Hunan, China. ...
This is a list of Neolithic cultures of China that have been discovered by archaeologists, sorted in chronological order from the earliest founding to the latest. ...
Agricultural square bladed hoe. ...
For other uses, see Spade (disambiguation). ...
{toxri coxa ki zaki| color = lightgreen | name = Foxtail millet | image = Setaria italica0. ...
For other uses, see Rice (disambiguation). ...
Soy redirects here. ...
Sericulture is the rearing of silkworms for the production of raw silk. ...
Church of the Holy Cross (Episcopal) Stateburg or Holy Cross Episcopal Church in Stateburg, South Carolina, built of rammed earth in 1850–1852 Rammed earth walls form part of the entrance building for the Eden Project in Cornwall, England. ...
Lime has several meanings: Look up Lime in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Lime (mineral) - a group of calcium compounds and minerals in which they predominate, including: Limestone Agricultural lime - a mineral soil additive Calcium oxide (also quicklime) - a chemical compound Calcium hydroxide (also slaked lime) - a chemical compound Lime (fruit...
Classic potters kick-wheel at Erfurt, Germany The potters wheel is a machine used in the shaping of round ceramic wares. ...
For the western world usage of china, see porcelain Chrysanthemum styled porcelain vase with three colors from the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) at the National Museum of China Chinese ceramics is a form of fine art developed since the dynastic periods. ...
Scapulimancy (also spelled scapulomancy and scapulamancy, and also termed omoplatoscopy ) is the practice of divination by use of scapulae (shoulder blades). ...
For other uses, see Divination (disambiguation). ...
Binomial name Bos taurus Linnaeus, 1758 Cattle are domesticated ungulates, a member of the subfamily Bovinae of the family Bovidae. ...
Binomial name (Linnaeus, 1758) The domestic buffalo or domestic Asian water buffalo is abundant in Asia, and South America. ...
Longshan culture (é¾å±±æ–‡åŒ–) was a late Neolithic culture centered around the central and lower Yellow River in China. ...
Irrigation is the artificial application of water to the soil usually for assisting in growing crops. ...
For the constellation known as The Plough see Ursa Major. ...
Remnants of advanced, stratified societies dating back to the Shang period have been found in the Yellow River Valley. ...
Seeder redirects here. ...
The traditional way: a German farmer works the land with horses and plough. ...
Four Great Inventions The following is a list of the Four Great Inventions of ancient China—as designated by the late Joseph Needham (1900–1995)—in the chronological order that they were established in China. The five major steps in ancient Chinese papermaking, as outlined by Cai Lun in 105 AD The Four Great Inventions of ancient China (traditional Chinese: ; simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: , meaning four great inventions) are, according to Chinese tradition and the British scholar and biochemist Joseph Needham: The Compass[1] Gunpowder Papermaking...
Joseph Terence Montgomery Needham (December 9, 1900 – March 24, 1995) was a British biochemist and pre-eminent authority on the history of Chinese science. ...
Paper
 An illustration published in Wang Zhen's (fl. 1290–1333) book of 1313 AD showing movable type characters arranged by rhyme scheme in round table compartments Although it is recorded that the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) court eunuch Cai Lun (c. 50–121 AD) invented the papermaking process and established the use of new raw materials used in making paper, ancient padding and wrapping paper artifacts dating to the 2nd century BC have been found in China, the oldest example of paper being a map from Fangmatan, Tianshui;[8] by the 3rd century, paper as a writing medium was in widespread use, replacing traditional but more expensive writing mediums such as strips of bamboo rolled into threaded scrolls, scrolls and strips of silk, wet clay tablets hardened later in a furnace, and wooden tablets (use of oracle bones as a writing medium died out after the Shang Dynasty).[9][10][11][12][13] The earliest known piece of paper with writing on it was discovered in the ruins of a Chinese watchtower at Tsakhortei, Alxa League, where Han Dynasty troops had deserted their position in 110 AD following a Xiongnu attack.[14] In the papermaking process established by Cai in 105, a boiled mixture of mulberry tree bark, hemp, old linens, and fish nets created a pulp that was pounded into paste and stirred with water; a wooden frame sieve with a mat of sewn reeds was then dunked into the mixture, which was then shaken and then dried into sheets of paper that were bleached under the exposure of sunlight; K.S. Tom says this process was gradually improved through leaching, polishing and glazing to produce a smooth, strong paper.[11][12] U.S. Marihuana production permit. ...
Emperor Wu of Han (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ), (156 BC[1]–March 29, 87 BC), personal name Liu Che (劉徹), was the seventh emperor of the Han Dynasty in China, ruling from 141 BC to 87 BC. Emperor Wu is best remembered for the vast territorial expansion that occurred under...
The Chinese Diamond Sutra, the oldest known dated printed book in the world, printed in the 9th year of Xiantong Era of the Tang Dynasty, i. ...
For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 599 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1247 × 1248 pixel, file size: 192 KB, MIME type: image/png) Faithful reproductions of two-dimensional original works cannot attract copyright in the U.S. according to the rule in Bridgeman Art Library v. ...
Image File history File links Size of this preview: 599 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1247 × 1248 pixel, file size: 192 KB, MIME type: image/png) Faithful reproductions of two-dimensional original works cannot attract copyright in the U.S. according to the rule in Bridgeman Art Library v. ...
Wáng Zhēn (王禎) (fl. ...
For the weblog software, see Movable Type. ...
Han Dynasty in 87 BC Capital Changan (206 BC–9 AD) Luoyang (25 AD–220 AD) Language(s) Chinese Religion Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Chinese folk religion Government Monarchy History - Establishment 206 BC - Battle of Gaixia; Han rule of China begins 202 BC - Interruption of Han rule 9 - 24 - Abdication...
Cài Lún (Wade-Giles: Tsai Lun, 蔡倫) (c. ...
The Diamond Sutra of the Chinese Tang Dynasty, the oldest dated printed book in the world, found at Dunhuang, from 868 AD. Papermaking is the process of making paper, a material which is ubiquitous today for writing and packaging. ...
For other uses, see Paper (disambiguation). ...
Cartography or mapmaking (in Greek chartis = map and graphein = write) has been an integral part of the human story for a long time (maybe 8,000 years - nobody knows exactly, but longer than written words). ...
Tianshui (Chinese: 天水; pinyin: ) is the second largest city in Gansu province in northwest China. ...
For other uses, see Bamboo (disambiguation). ...
For other uses of this word, see Silk (disambiguation). ...
Small tablets made out of clay were used from late 4th millennium BC onwards as a writing medium in Sumerian, Mesopotamian, Hittite, and Minoan/Mycenaean civilizations. ...
Replica of an oracle bone -- turtle shell Oracle bones (Chinese: 甲骨; pinyin: jiǎgǔpià n) are pieces of bone or turtle shell used in royal divination from the mid Shang to early Zhou dynasties in ancient China, and often bearing written inscriptions in what is called oracle bone script. ...
Remnants of advanced, stratified societies dating back to the Shang period have been found in the Yellow River Valley. ...
Alxa League (Mongolian: , Chinese: ; Pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Alashan Meng) is one of 12 prefecture level divisions and three extant leagues of Inner Mongolia. ...
A Xiongnu belt buckle. ...
Species Morus alba - White Mulberry Morus australis - Chinese Mulberry Morus indica - Indian Mulberry Morus microphylla - Texas Mulberry Morus nigra - Black Mulberry Morus rubra - Red Mulberry Morus serrata - Himalayan Mulberry For other meanings, see Mulberry (disambiguation). ...
Printing Woodblock printing: The earliest confirmed specimen of woodblock printing is a miniature dharani Buddhist sutra bearing extinct Chinese writing characters used only during the reign of China's only self-ruling empress, Wu Zetian (r. 690–705), dated no earlier than 704 and preserved in a Silla Korean temple stupa built in 751.[15] However, the earliest known book printed at regular size is the Diamond Sutra made during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), a 5.18 m (17 ft) long scroll which bears the date 868 AD, or the "fifteenth day of the fourth moon of the ninth year" of Emperor Yizong's rule (859–873).[16] Joseph Needham and Tsien Tsuen-Hsuin write that the cutting and printing techniques used for the delicate calligraphy of the Diamond Sutra book are much more advanced and refined than the miniature dharani sutra printed earlier.[16] The two oldest Chinese calendars printed have been found in the Buddhist pilgrimage site at Dunhuang, dated 877 and 882; Patricia Ebrey writes that it is no surprise that some of the earliest printed items were calendars, since the Chinese found it necessary to calculate and mark which days were auspicious and which were not.[16][17] Yuan Dynasty woodblock edition of a Chinese play For the use of the technique in art, see Woodcut on the technique, and Old master print for the history in Europe and woodblock printing in Japan. ...
Dharani Kūkai advanced a general theory of language based on his analysis of two forms of Buddhist ritual language: dharani (dhāra. ...
SÅ«tra (sex) (Sanskrit) or Sutta (PÄli) literally means a rope or thread that holds things together, and more metaphorically refers to an aphorism (or line, rule, formula), or a collection of such aphorisms in the form of a manual. ...
Parts of a stele containing the Zetian characters, written by Empress Wu herself Chinese characters of Empress Wu, or the Zetian characters (則天文å—), are Chinese characters introduced by Empress Wu Zetian, the only reigning female in the history of China, to demonstrate her power. ...
Wu Zetian (simplified Chinese: ; traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (625 – December 16, 705), personal name Wu Zhao (æ¦æ›Œ), was the only woman in the history of China to assume the title of Emperor. ...
Unified Silla (668CE–935CE) is the name often applied to the kingdom of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, after 668, when it conquered Baekje to unify the southern portion of the Korean peninsula. ...
The Great Stupa at Sanchi. ...
The Chinese Diamond Sutra, the oldest known dated printed book in the world, printed in the 9th year of Xiantong Era of the Tang Dynasty, i. ...
For the band, see Tang Dynasty (band). ...
Emperor Tang Yizong (å”懿宗æŽæ¼¼ November 14, 833–873), born Li Cui, was the 17th emperor of the Tang dynasty of China. ...
Calligraphy is an art dating back to the earliest day of history, and widely practiced throughout China to this day. ...
The Chinese calendar is a lunisolar calendar, incorporating elements of a lunar calendar with those of a solar calendar. ...
Location of Dunhuang Dunhuang (Chinese: , also written as 燉煌 till early Qing Dynasty; Pinyin: ) is a city in Jiuquan, Gansu province, China. ...
Movable type: The polymath scientist and official Shen Kuo (1031–1095) of the Song Dynasty (960–1279) was the first to describe the process of movable type printing in his Dream Pool Essays of 1088, attributing this innovation to a little-known artisan named Bi Sheng (990–1051).[18][19][20][21] With the use of fired clay characters, Shen described Bi's technical process of making the type, type-setting, printing, and breaking up the type for further use.[22][21] Bi had experimented with wooden type characters, but their use was not perfected until 1297 to 1298 with the model of the official Wang Zhen (fl. 1290–1333) of the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368), who also arranged written characters by rhyme scheme on the surface of round table compartments.[23][19] It was not until 1490 with the printed works of Hua Sui (1439–1513) of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) that the Chinese perfected metal movable type characters, namely bronze.[24][25] The Qing Dynasty (1644–1912) scholar Xu Zhiding of Tai'an, Shandong developed vitreous enamel movable type printing in 1718.[26] For the weblog software, see Movable Type. ...
This is a Chinese name; the family name is Shen Shen Kuo or Shen Kua (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (1031–1095) was a polymathic Chinese scientist and statesman of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). ...
For other uses, see Liu Song Dynasty. ...
Shen Kuo (沈括) (1031-1095 AD) The Dream Pool Essays (Pinyin: Meng Xi Bi Tan; Wade-Giles: Meng Chi Pi Tan Chinese: 梦溪笔谈) was an extensive book written by the polymath Chinese scientist and statesman Shen Kuo (1031-1095) by 1088 AD, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) of China. ...
Pì Shēng (Wade-Giles selling) (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: ; died 1052) was the inventor of the first know movable type printing system. ...
Wáng Zhēn (王禎) (fl. ...
Capital Dadu Language(s) Mongolian Chinese Government Monarchy Emperor - 1260-1294 Kublai Khan - 1333-1370 (Cont. ...
Hua Sui (1439-1513 AD) was a Chinese scholar and printer of Wuxi, Jiangsu province during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD). ...
For other uses, see Ming. ...
This article is about the metal alloy. ...
Flag (1890-1912) Anthem Gong Jinou (1911) Qing China at its greatest extent. ...
Taian (Chinese: 泰安; Pinyin: Tà iÄn) is a prefecture-level city in western Shandong province, Peoples Republic of China. ...
(Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: ; Wade-Giles: Shan-tung) is a coastal province of eastern Peoples Republic of China. ...
In a discussion of art technology, enamel (or vitreous enamel, or porcelain enamel in American English) is the colorful result of fusion of powdered glass to a substrate through the process of firing, usually between 750 and 850 degrees Celsius. ...
Effects on bookbinding: The advent of printing in the 9th century revolutionized bookbinding, as late Tang Dynasty paper books evolved from rolled scrolls of paper into folded leaves like a pamphlet, which developed further in the Song Dynasty (960–1279) into 'butterfly' bindings with leaves of paper folded down the center like a common book, then during the Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) wrapped back bindings had two edges of the leaves attached to the spine and secured with a stiff paper cover on the back, and during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) books finally had thread-stitched bindings in the back.[27] It was not until the early 20th century that traditional Chinese thread-stitched bookbinding was replaced by Western-style bookbinding, a parallel to the replacement of traditional Chinese print methods with the modern printing press, in the tradition of Johannes Gutenberg (c. 1400–1468).[28] Old book binding and cover Bookbinding is the process of physically assembling a book from a number of folded or unfolded sheets of paper or other material. ...
Polish soldiers reading a German leaflet during the Warsaw Uprising A pamphlet is an unbound booklet (that is, without a hard cover or binding). ...
For other uses, see Liu Song Dynasty. ...
Capital Dadu Language(s) Mongolian Chinese Government Monarchy Emperor - 1260-1294 Kublai Khan - 1333-1370 (Cont. ...
For other uses, see Ming. ...
Occident redirects here. ...
The printing press is a mechanical device for printing many copies of a text on rectangular sheets of paper. ...
This article is about the inventor of printing in Europe; for other uses, see Guttenberg (disambiguation) and Gutenberg. ...
Gunpowder Although evidence of gunpowder's first use in China comes from the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms Period (907–960),[29] the earliest known recorded recipes for gunpowder were written by Zeng Gongliang, Ding Du, and Yang Weide in the Wujing Zongyao military manuscript compiled in 1044 during the Song Dynasty (960–1279); the gunpowder formulas described were used in incendiary bombs lobbed from catapults, thrown down from defensive walls, or lowered down the wall by use of iron chains operated by a swape lever;[30][31][32] bombs launched from trebuchet catapults mounted on forecastles of naval ships ensured the victory of Song over Jin forces at the Battle of Caishi in 1161, while the Mongol Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368)
used gunpowder bombs during their failed invasion of Japan in 1274 and 1281;[31] during the 13th and 14th centuries, gunpowder formulas became more potent (with nitrate levels of up to 91%) and gunpowder weaponry more advanced and deadly, as evidenced in the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644) military manuscript Huolongjing compiled by Jiao Yu (fl. 14th to early 15th century) and Liu Ji (1311–1375), completed sometime before the latter's death with a preface added by the former in a 1412 Nanyang publication of the work.[33] Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 748 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2413 × 1935 pixel, file size: 1. ...
Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 748 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2413 × 1935 pixel, file size: 1. ...
The fire lance (Traditional Chinese: ; Simplified Chinese: ; pinyin: huÇ’ qiÄng) or fire spear is one of the first gunpowder weapons in the world. ...
Location of Dunhuang Dunhuang (Chinese: , also written as 燉煌 till early Qing Dynasty; Pinyin: ) is a city in Jiuquan, Gansu province, China. ...
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (Traditional Chinese: 五代å國 Simplified Chinese: 五代å国 Hanyu pinyin: WÇ”dà ishÃguó) (907-960) was a period of political upheaval in China, between the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty. ...
A modern black powder substitute for muzzleloading rifles in FFG size Gunpowder (also called black powder) is a pyrotechnic composition, an explosive mixture of sulfur, charcoal and potassium nitrate (also known as saltpetre or saltpeter) that burns rapidly, producing volumes of hot solids and gases which can be used as...
Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (Traditional Chinese: 五代å國 Simplified Chinese: 五代å国 Hanyu pinyin: WÇ”dà ishÃguó) (907-960) was a period of political upheaval in China, between the Tang Dynasty and Song Dynasty. ...
A Chinese Song Dynasty naval river ship with a Xuanfeng traction-trebuchet catapult on its top deck, taken from an illustration of the Wujing Zongyao. ...
For other uses, see Liu Song Dynasty. ...
hey hey you no i rock at soccer cuz no i made the school team!! yay me aka katelyn ♥ Incendiary devices or incendiary bombs are bombs designed to start fires or destroy sensitive equipment using materials such as napalm, thermite, chlorine trifluoride, or white phosphorus. ...
Drawing of a Roman ballista For the handheld Y-shaped weapon, see slingshot. ...
Qing dynasty wall of Xian, showing elaborate wall towers Chinese city walls (Chinese: ; pinyin: chéngqiáng; literally city wall) refer to civic defensive systems used to protect towns and cities in China in pre-modern times. ...
For the typeface, see Trebuchet MS. Trebuchet at Château des Baux, France A trebuchet is a siege engine employed in the Middle Ages either to smash masonry walls or to throw projectiles over them. ...
forecastle with figurehead Grand Turk Focsle of the Prince William, a modern square rigged ship, in the North Sea. ...
The Jin Dynasty (金 pinyin: JÄ«n 1115-1234; Anchu in Jurchen), also known as the Jurchen dynasty, was founded by the Wanyan (å®Œé¡ Wányán) clan of the Jurchen, the ancestors of the Manchus who established the Qing Dynasty some 500 years later. ...
Combatants Jurchen Jin Southern Song Commanders Hailingwang Unknown The naval Battle of Caishi took place in 1161 and was the result of an attempt by forces of the Jurchen Jin to cross the Yangtze River, thus beginning an invasion of Southern Song China. ...
Capital Dadu Language(s) Mongolian Chinese Government Monarchy Emperor - 1260-1294 Kublai Khan - 1333-1370 (Cont. ...
Image File history File links Mooko-Suenaga. ...
Combatants Mongol Empire Japan Commanders Kublai Khan HÅjÅ Tokimune Strength 35,000 Mongol & Chinese soldiers and 18,000 Korean warriors 10,000 Casualties 16,000 killed before landed minimal Defensive wall at Hakata. ...
Trinitrate redirects here. ...
For other uses, see Ming. ...
Ming Dynasty musketeers in drill formation. ...
Ming Dynasty (1368-1644 AD) era matchlock firearms featuring serpentine levers. ...
Liu Ji (Chinese: 刘基, courtesy name Bowen (伯温)) (1311-1375) was a Chinese military strategist and statesman in the Ming dynasty. ...
Nanyang (Simplified Chinese: å—阳; Traditional Chinese: å—陽; pinyin: ) is a city in the south of Henan province, China. ...
Compass In San Lorenzo Tenochtitlán, Veracruz, Mexico, an ancient hematite artifact from the Olmec era dating roughly 1000 BC has been found shedding some light about possible use of the lodestone compass in Central America long before it was described in China, yet the Olmecs did not have iron which the Chinese would discover could be magnetized by contact with lodestone.[34] The Chinese by the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) began using north-south oriented lodestone ladle-and-bowl shaped compasses for divination and geomancy and not yet for navigation;[35][36][37] the polymath official and inventor Shen Kuo (1031–1095) of the Song Dynasty (960–1279) was the first to accurately describe both magnetic declination and the magnetic needle compass in his Dream Pool Essays of 1088, while the author Zhu Yu (fl. 12th century) was the first to mention use of the compass specifically for navigation at sea in his book published in 1119.[38][39][40][41][36][20][42] Even before this, however, the Wujing Zongyao military manuscript compiled by 1044 described a thermoremanence compass of heated iron or steel shaped as a fish and placed in a bowl of water which produced a weak magnetic force; the Wujing Zongyao recorded that it was used as a pathfinder alongside the South Pointing Chariot.[43][44] Kaifeng (Simplified Chinese: ; Traditional Chinese: ; pinyin: KÄifÄ“ng; Wade-Giles: Kai-feng), formerly known as Bianliang (æ±´æ¢; Wade-Giles: Pien-liang), is a prefecture-level city in eastern Henan province, Peoples Republic of China. ...
Geomancer redirects here. ...
Han Dynasty in 87 BC Capital Changan (206 BC–9 AD) Luoyang (25 AD–220 AD) Language(s) Chinese Religion Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Chinese folk religion Government Monarchy History - Establishment 206 BC - Battle of Gaixia; Han rule of China begins 202 BC - Interruption of Han rule 9 - 24 - Abdication...
Front and side views of Colossal Head 1 now located at Museo de AntropologÃa de Xalapa in Xalapa, Veracruz. ...
Location within Mexico Country Capital Municipalities 212 Largest City Veracruz Government - Governor Fidel Herrera Beltrán (PRI) - Federal Deputies PRI: 6 PAN: 11 PRD: 2 Convergencia: 2 - Federal Senators PRD: 1 PAN: 1 Convergencia: 1 Area Ranked 11th - Total 71,699 km² (27,683. ...
For other uses, see Hematite (disambiguation). ...
Monument 1, one of the four Olmec colossal heads at La Venta. ...
Magnetite Lodestone or loadstone refers to either: Magnetite, a magnetic mineral form of iron(II), iron(III) oxide Fe3O4, one of several iron oxides. ...
For other uses, see Central America (disambiguation). ...
Fe redirects here. ...
Han Dynasty in 87 BC Capital Changan (206 BC–9 AD) Luoyang (25 AD–220 AD) Language(s) Chinese Religion Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Chinese folk religion Government Monarchy History - Establishment 206 BC - Battle of Gaixia; Han rule of China begins 202 BC - Interruption of Han rule 9 - 24 - Abdication...
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This is a Chinese name; the family name is Shen Shen Kuo or Shen Kua (Chinese: ; pinyin: ) (1031–1095) was a polymathic Chinese scientist and statesman of the Song Dynasty (960–1279). ...
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Shen Kuo (沈括) (1031-1095 AD) The Dream Pool Essays (Pinyin: Meng Xi Bi Tan; Wade-Giles: Meng Chi Pi Tan Chinese: 梦溪笔谈) was an extensive book written by the polymath Chinese scientist and statesman Shen Kuo (1031-1095) by 1088 AD, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279) of China. ...
Zhu Yu (Chinese: ; Wade-Giles: Chu Yü) was an author of the Chinese Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD). ...
A Chinese Song Dynasty naval river ship with a Xuanfeng traction-trebuchet catapult on its top deck, taken from an illustration of the Wujing Zongyao. ...
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South Pointing Chariot (replica) The South Pointing Chariot (Zhi Nan Che 指å—車) is widely regarded as the most complex geared mechanism of the ancient Chinese civilization, and was continually used throughout the medieval period as well. ...
Other inventions Inventions which made their first appearance in China are listed in alphabetical order below. - Animal zodiac: The earliest and most complete version of the animal zodiac mentions tweleve animals which differ slightly (for instance, the dragon is absent, represented by a worm).[45] Each animal matches the earthly branches and were written on bamboo slips from Shuihudi, dated to the late 4th century BC,[46] as well as from Fangmatan, dating to the late 3rd century BC.[46] Before these archaeological finds, the Lun Heng written by Wang Chong (27 – c. 100 AD) during the 1st century provided the earliest transmitted example of a complete duodenary animal cycle.[47]
 Huizi currency, issued in 1160 - Banknote: Paper currency was first developed in China. Its roots were in merchant receipts of deposit during the Tang Dynasty (618–907), as merchants and wholesalers desired to avoid the heavy bulk of copper coinage in large commercial transactions; during the Song Dynasty (960–1279), the central government adopted this system for their monopolized salt industry, but a gradual reduction in copper production—due to closed mines and an enormous outflow of Song-minted copper currency into the Japanese, Southeast Asian, Western Xia, and Liao Dynasty economies—encouraged the Song government in the early 12th century to issue government-printed paper currency alongside copper to ease the demand on their state mints and debase the value of copper; the earliest paper currency was limited to certain regions and could not be used outside specified bounds, but once paper was securely backed by gold and silver stores, the Song government initiated a nationwide paper currency, sometime between 1265 and 1274.[50][51][52][53] The concurrent Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) also printed paper banknotes by at least 1214.[54]
- Belt drive: In 1090, Qin Guan's book on textiles and sericulture written during the Song Dynasty (960–1279) described the first mechanical belt drive for a silk-reeling device.[55] An illustration of a woman operating a multiple-spindle spinning wheel with a continuous driving belt is featured in the Book of Agriculture published in 1313 by Wang Zhen (fl. 1290–1333).[56] This silk-handling machinery was a type of flyer which laid thread evenly on reels.[57] By the 14th century, hydraulic power was applied to spinning mills in China for this purpose.[57]
- Blast furnace: Although cast iron tools and weapons have been found in China dating to the 5th century BC, the earliest discovered Chinese blast furnaces, which produced pig iron that could be remelted and refined as cast iron in the cupola furnace, date to the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC, while the vast majority of early blast furnace sites discovered date to the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) period immediately following 117 BC with the establishment of state monopolies over the salt and iron industries during the reign of Emperor Wu of Han (r. 141–87 BC); most ironwork sites discovered dating before 117 BC acted merely as foundries which made castings for iron that had been smelted in blast furnaces elsewhere in remote areas far from population centers.[58][59]
- Borehole drilling: By at least the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), the Chinese used deep borehole drilling for mining and other projects, such as using a derrick to lift liquid brine to the surface through a bamboo pipeline that led to a distilling furnace (which Michael Loewe says was possibly heated by natural gas) where salt could be processed; scenes of this entire process are featured in artwork on Han tomb brick reliefs of Sichuan province, while Loewe states that borehole sites could reach as deep as 600 m (2000 ft).[60] There have been Han Dynasty bronze foundries discovered where the mining shafts reached depths of 100 m (328 ft), complete with a timber frame, ladders, and iron tools.[61]
- Bristle toothbrush: According to a Library of Congress website, the Chinese have used the bristle toothbrush since 1498, during the reign of the Hongzhi Emperor (r. 1487–1505) of the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644); it also adds that the toothbrush was not mass-produced until 1780, when they were sold by a William Addis of Clerkenwald, England.[62] In accordance with the Library of Congress website, scholar John Bowman also writes that the bristle toothbrush using pig bristles was invented in China during the 1490s.[25]
- Bulkhead partition: The 5th century book Garden of Strange Things by Liu Jingshu mentioned that a ship could allow water to enter the bottom without sinking, while the Song Dynasty (960–1279) author Zhu Yu (fl. 12th century) wrote in his book of 1119 that the hulls of Chinese ships had a bulkhead build; these pieces of literary evidence for bulkhead partitions are confirmed by archaeological evidence of a 24 m (78 ft) long Song Dynasty ship dredged from the waters off the southern coast of China in 1973, the hull of the ship divided into twelve walled compartmental sections built watertight, dated to about 1277.[63][64] Western writers from Marco Polo (1254–1324), to Niccolò Da Conti (1395–1469), to Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) commented on bulkhead partitions, which they viewed as an original aspect of Chinese shipbuilding, as Western shipbuilding did not incorporate this hull arrangement until the early 19th century.[65][66]
- Caliper: A Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) bronze sliding caliper used by craftsmen for minute measuring has been discovered with manufacturing information inscribed on it, including the exact date it was made (corresponding to January 15, 9 AD); it could be adjusted by means of a slot with a pin (keeping in place the component lug of the instrument) to measure with the precision of tenths of 1 in (0.23 cm), with a maximum of 6 in (15 cm).[67]
- Cast iron: Confirmed by archaeological evidence, cast iron, made from melting pig iron, was developed in China by the early 5th century BC during the Zhou Dynasty (1122–256 BC), the oldest specimens found in a tomb of Luhe County in Jiangsu province; despite this, most of the early blast furnaces and cupola furnaces discovered in China date after the state iron monopoly under Emperor Wu (r. 141–87 BC) was established in 117 BC, during the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD); Donald Wagner states that a possible reason why no ancient Chinese bloomery process has been discovered thus far is because the iron monopoly, which lasted until the 1st century AD when it was abolished for private entrepreneurship and local administrative use, wiped out any need for continuing the less-efficient bloomery process that continued in use in other parts of the world.[68][58][69][70][71] Wagner states that most iron tools in ancient China were made of cast iron in consideration of the low economic burden of producing cast iron, whereas most iron military weapons were made of more costly wrought iron and steel, signifying that "high performance was essential" and preferred for the latter.[72]
- Chain drive: Perhaps inspired by chain pumps which had been known in China since at least the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) when they were mentioned by the Chinese philosopher Wang Chong (27–c.100 AD),[73] the endless power-transmitting chain drive was first used in the gearing of the clock tower built at Kaifeng in 1090 by the official, mathematician, and astronomer Su Song (1020–1101) during the Song Dynasty (960–1279); in addition to the escapement mechanism invented earlier in the 8th century, the chain drive was used to mechanically rotate the tower's armillary sphere crowning the top (which imitated the movements of the stars in the celestial sphere) and move one of 600 mechanical gear teeth forward every 2 minutes and 24 seconds, thus each gear tooth represented
 of a 24 hour day, each hour announced by one of 133 clock jack figurines rotated on a mechanical wheel behind opening windows where they could be seen banging gongs, drums, bells, and holding plaques for special times of day.[74][75][76]  Illustration of chopsticks - Chromium, use of: The use of chromium was invented in China no later than 210 BC, the date when the Terracotta Army was interred at a site not far from modern Xi'an; modern archaeologists discovered that bronze-tipped crossbow bolts at the site showed no sign of corrosion after more than 2,000 years of being interred, the reason being that the Chinese had coated the bronze tips of their crossbow bolts in chromium; chromium was not used anywhere else until the experiments of Louis Nicolas Vauquelin (1763–1829) in 1797–1798.[79]
- Contour canal: After numerous conquests and consolidation of his empire, China's first emperor Qin Shi Huang (r. 221–210 BC) commissioned the engineer Shi Lu (fl. late 3rd century BC) to build a new waterway canal which would pass through a mountain range and link together the Xiang River and Lijiang River; the result of this project was the Lingqu Canal, complete with thirty-six lock gates, and since it closely follows a contour line, it is the oldest known contour canal in the world.[82]
- Crank handle: The earliest known depicted crank handle in art comes from a Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD) green-glazed pottery tomb model of a farmyard, complete with a rotary grain mill, a man operating a foot tilt hammer for pounding grain, and to his left a winnowing machine with a crank handle used to operate the fan.[83] The crank handle in later Imperial China (Tang and Song dynasties) was also used in grain mills, silk-reeling and hemp-spinning machines, the hydraulic-powered flour-sifter, the hydraulic powered bellows, the water well windlass, and other devices.[84]
- Crossbow, handheld: In China, bronze and iron crossbow bolts dating from the 5th to 4th century BC were found at a State of Chu grave site in Hubei;[85] the earliest textual evidence of the handheld crossbow used in battle dates to the 4th century BC;[86] handheld crossbows with complex bronze trigger mechanisms have been found with the Terracotta Army in the tomb of Qin Shi Huang (r. 221–210 BC) that are similar to specimens from the subsequent Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), while crossbowmen described in the Han Dynasty learned drill formations, some were even mounted as cavalry units, and Han Dynasty writers attributed the success of numerous battles against the Xiongnu to massed crossbow fire;[87][88] in a cross comparison with a contemporary civilization which created an early crossbow, the ancient Greeks had a large artillery crossbow known as the gastraphetes ("belly-bow") by roughly the late 5th century BC, yet the handheld crossbow in Europe was not seen until the 10th century AD.[89][90]
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