The Four Great Inventions

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The Four Great Inventions of an- cient China are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance and serve as symbols of Chinese advanced science and technology.The Four Great Inventions are:Compass, Gunpowder,Papermaking and Printing. These four inventions had an enormous impact on the development of Chinese civilization and a far-ranging global impact.

Before the invention of paper,bones,tortoise shells,and Bamboo slips were all used as writing surfaces,but as Chinese civilization developed they proved themselves unsuitable because of their bulk(A)and weight.Hemp fiber and silk were used to make paper but the quality was far from satisfactory.In 105 A.D.Cai Lun,a eunuch during the Eastern Han Dynasty,invented paper from worn fishnet,bark and cloth.These raw materials could be easily found at a much lower cost’so large quantities of paper could be produced.Later,the technique of papermaking was introduced to other parts of the world,such as Korea,Japan,and Europe.

Inspired by engraved name seals,Chinese people invented fixed-type engraved printing around 600 A.D.During the reign of Emperor Ren Zong of the Northern Song Dynasty,Bi Sheng invented moveable, reusable clay type after numerous tests.Single types were made and picked out for printing certain books.These types could be used again and again for different books.

During the Warring States Period,a device called Si Nan became the forerunner of the compass.Si Nan was a ladle-like magnet on a plate with the handle of the ladle pointing to the south.In the 11th century, tiny needles made of magnetized steel were invented.One end of the needle points north while the other points south.The compass was created.

In Chinese,gunpowder is called huoyao,meaning flaming medicine.Unlike paper and printing,the birth of gunpowder was quite accidental.It was tirst invented inadvertently by alchemists while attempting to make an elixir of Immortality .It was a mixture of sulphur,saltpeter,and charcoal.At the end of the Tang Dynasty,gunpowder was being used in military affairs.During the Song and Yuan dynasties,frequent wars spurred the development of cannons,and fire-arrows shot from bamboo tubes.In the 12th and 13th centuries,gunpowder spread to the Arab countries,then Greece,other European countries, and finally all over the world.