Chinese Inventions By Lexi Lewis

Did you know that so many great inventions were made by the Chinese? There are some inventions that led to other inventions. The Chinese made some inventions we can’t imagine the world without today.

Paper Paper was invented by a worker named Cai Lun in 105 AD. in the Han Dynasty. Instead of making it out of trees like they do today, they did a different method than today. The material was pounded until it was smooth. Then, liquid was added to the mix to make pulp. Next,the pulp was spread evenly on top of a screen, which let the liquid drain out.The dried pulp was paper. Paper came in use later after it was made for more than writing. Other things were made like toilet paper, paper money.

Woodblock Printing Next time you are typing a report or anything on your computer, and about to print the paper, now you will know the Chinese invented it about 2,000 years ago. But the kind we are talking about now is called woodblock printing. Woodblock printing was very simple. People first wrote out the text or whatever they wanted to put on a sheet of paper. After that, they pressed the inked part on top of a wooden block, leaving a mirror- version of the text. The carver had to make sure all the text was turned around so it would make sense on the woodblock. Then, the inked part was carved away.

Silk Silk was a very famous and popular thing in ancient China. Back then, silk was expensive. Poor people didn’t have silk. If you did, it was beautiful. Silk was used for so many things besides clothing, from men’s ties to embroidery. The Chinese didn’t want the rest of the world to know about silk. So, they kept silk a secret for many years. Silk is made from silk worms. Did you know it takes 40,000 silk worms to make just 12 pounds of silk?

Kite Kite Do you have a kite? If you look at one, can you imagine that the Chinese people invented it so many years ago? Yes they did. Long ago, the Chinese invented kites to scare away evil spirits and to measure distances, to test wind and to scare off enemies at battle. There are so many shapes and sizes and different colors of kites. To this day, people use and enjoy kites all around the world and especially in China.

Toothbrush Did you know that the Chinese invented the toothbrush? It was called the chew stick. The first toothbrushes with bristles were invented in the 1400s CE. The handle was either bone or bamboo and the bristles were stiff hairs taken from a hog’s neck.

Gunpowder Have you ever heard of gunpowder? The Chinese have a interesting story behind it. Many years back, Chinese doctors were looking for a medicine so people could live forever. Instead, the doctors found something they never meant to find- gunpowder. Their new product blew up easily and was useful for battle.

Umbrella Did you know that umbrellas were invented in China about 2,000 years ago? The umbrellas we use today can be folded up when we’re not using them. The tops of the first umbrellas were made with thick oiled paper so the water won’t get on the user.

Matches Your parents are lighting a candle and your mom or dad tells you ‘Don’t touch that!’ as always. The Chinese invented matches. The first matches were thin sticks of pine. Sulfur on the tips lighted quickly when touched to a flame. Matches (fire sticks) became more and more useful as the years went by.

And so many more The Chinese invented countless inventions we couldn't imagine the world without today. There are so many more inventions waiting for China to discover. I hope you learned a lot from my slideshow.