Ancient Chinese Inventions

Activity You will work in groups of 3-4. You will be given a picture of a Chinese invention. Your job: 1) As a group decide what you think the invention was used for. 2) How did the invention help Chinese society? Reference other things we have discussed in class (ex. Great Wall, Silk Road, specific geographic features) 3) Write down your answers!

Invention #9

Invention #8 Hint: This is not an eating utensil

Invention #7

Invention #6

Invention #5

Invention #4

Invention #3

Invention #2

Invention #1

So how did your team do? In your notes make a list of the top 9 Chinese inventions so you have them for the quiz.

Invention #9

Gunpowder! The ancient Chinese developed gunpowder in 250 BCE but used it more for firework displays. The Chinese began using gunpowder as a weapon in 1232 CE

Invention #8

Compass! The ancient Chinese developed the compass in the 4 th century BCE out of lodestone The Chinese compass pointed to true south instead of north

Invention #7

Paper made from wood pulp! The ancient Chinese first wrote on strips of bamboo and silk but in 105 AD a man named Cai Lun pressed a mixture of wood fibers and water onto a woven cloth. This created a rough kind of paper.

Invention #6

Noodles! … Probably… In 2006, archaeologists discovered a bowl of overturned pasta which had been buried under 10 ft of earth. No, the archaeologists did not eat the pasta! The discovery was made in Lajia, a 4,000 year-old city near the Tibetan border This is the oldest evidence of pasta discovered so far, dating 2,000 years before examples in Arabia and Italy!

Invention #5

Wheelbarrow! A general named Jugo Liang (who lived during the Han dynasty) developed the wheelbarrow to help carry heavy loads. Liang’s invention included a one-wheeled cart but the handles were not added on until later. It was used as a military invention and was kept top secret. Europeans did not invent the wheelbarrow until over 1,000 years later!

Invention #4

Seismograph! During the Han dynasty (2 nd century) the Chinese developed the first earthquake detector. The bronze vessel had nine dragons facing downward on its outside. Below each dragon, was a frog with an open mouth. Inside the vessel, a pendulum hung motionless until a tremor moved it. When this happened, the pendulum would trigger the release of a ball held in the mouth of the dragon facing the direction of the earthquake's epicenter.

Invention #3

Kite! During the 4 th century BCE two men came up with the kite. Over time the ancient Chinese used kites for many things including: Fishing Delivering gunpowder over enemy lines Dropping propaganda over Mongol enemy lines.

Invention #2

Iron Plow! During the 4 th century BCE the Chinese developed the world’s most sophisticated plow with an iron blade. When the iron plow was finally introduced to Europe, it started the Agricultural Revolution (17 th Century)

Invention #1

Silk fabric! Silk fabric helped link China to other parts of the world in trade. A scroll containing an article on silk production was found in the tomb of created during the Liangzhu period, which lasted from 3330 to 2200 B.C.

Other Cool Chinese Inventions Ship rudder Crossbow Stirrups Glazed pottery; porcelein