Top 10 Best China Inventions

Chinese are known for the discovery of many important things from the ancient time. The list of the top 10 best things ever discovered by Chinese people is given below.

10.Paper

As Chinese invented printing there was also a need for some medium on which printing was to be done. For this reason Chinese invented paper. Paper pulp was a good option as it was cheaper as compared to other things like silk and clay tablets. Apart from being cheap this was also very easy to make. Paper was discovered in the 105 AD. The invention of paper was done by Cai Lun. He not only invented the paper and made the paper making technology far better but also used different things for paper making like rags and tree barks. There have been proofs that the paper pulp was used since second century BC. Cai Lun has only made the process of paper making better but still he is said to be the discoverer of paper. The early process of making paper was to soak the hemp in the water and then it was beaten using a wooden mallet. A mold was then used to put this slurry on it and then it was dried out. t.

9. Printing

Printing is a way in which images and text are printed on paper. This technique was developed by China and has helped the people worldwide. It is among the best inventions China has ever done. During 220 A.D. Chinese discovered the art of printing. There were two different kinds of printing done in China in the ancient time namely woodblock printing as well as movable type printing. Movable printing was invented by Bi Sheng. The method of doing woodblock printing is to carve the image or the letter on the wooden block and then cover it with the dye and after that printing it on the paper or on a fabric. During 660 A.D. hemp paper was used in wood block printing. The first printed book was the Diamond Sutra in which printing is done through woodblock printing during 868 A.D.

8. Government-Issued Paper Money

Paper money is one among the best thing China has ever invented. Before this time people used to carry coins made of different metals for exchange of different items. Carrying of heavy metal coins was not an easy thing for people who made transactions in a large amount. Its invention has helped many of the merchants as they no more have to carry heavy load of coins with them. In the seventh century China invented paper money that was issued by the government as a medium of exchange. For big transactions gold and silk were used and for doing small exchanges bronze coins were used in China. The early use of paper money was called as flying money. The early use of this paper money was only limited to the rich people but during the Song Dynasty it was given around to all the people. During this period copper coins were very less and hence paper money was used by the local people too.

7. Gunpowder

Gun powder is also known as black powder. Gunpowder was discovered in china and it was the first explosive thing invented during that time.it was invented in the seventh century. The credits for discovering the gun powder goes to a Chinese alchemist who discovered this substance accidently. He wanted to find an elixir for immortality. He mixed substances like saltpeter, charcoal and sulfurous which became an explosive substance. When it was exposed to fire it burnt out with flash of light. People in the tenth century used this gun powder to defend themselves against the bad and evil spirits. Chinese not only used this gun powder for fireworks as many people think so but they also used it in fire arrows for their enemies. The making of this powder is very dangerous task and hence people mixed liquor or water in the powder so as to reduce the danger of explosion of this powder.

6.Forks and Chopsticks

You must be aware that chopsticks are used by Chinese people but you may not know this that they are the ones who have discovered not only chopsticks but also forks. Chopsticks are sticks used for eating in China, Japan and Vietnam. There are evidences that the chopsticks were used even during the Shang Dynasty in China. The forks made from bones were found in China which dated back to the Xia Dynasty. Forks were mainly used by the elite class and it came in different sizes as you see now. But use of chopsticks became popular as it was easy to use for the kind of food Chinese people consumed. Chopsticks were promoted by the Confucius. You will be very surprised to know that chopsticks came into use much before people used forks and even spoons.

5. Coffins, Tree coffins, Urns

Chinese are very traditional people and it appears that they were very worried for their loved ones even after their death. They were worried about burying their loved ones who were dead. It has been discovered that Chinese were the first people to use coffins to bury their loved ones. They were the first ones to use urns as well as coffins. They wanted to preserve the dead bodies of their loved ones. As the coffins were designed for their loved ones hence there were really good at the art work. The first coffin found belongs to 5000 BC in which a girl of four years was buried. The nobility as well as the wealth were the measures that Chinese saw while designing the coffin. They made coffins of the shape of boats and they were constructed from tree trunks.

4. Compass

Compass is an instrument widely used by the sailors to see the directions. Compass was invented by the Chinese during 221 to 206 BC. Chinese found out a mineral called magnetite that when suspended always pointed in the north direction and had the capability of attracting iron towards it. As the time passed on people made round compass. People in china used this stone for fortune telling. In the eighth century AD many more modifications were done and the stone was replaced by a magnetic needle making the compass much better and easier to handle. After this modification it was widely used to see the directions on the sea journey by the sailors. Invention of this device made the navigation process very easy. In Wang Xu, Chinese literature magnetism is first mentioned. Zheng He was the first person in the world who used the compass as a navigation device.

3. Holistic Medicine

Chinese people are very much concerned about their health and hence they discovered some natural medicines which keep them healthy. According to Chinese people if a person takes a proper diet he remains healthy and for this reason the royal family hired dietitians so that they could tell them which kind of food they should eat. Books were published so that people could know which food is good for their health and which one is not. The first book to guide people in their daily diet was published during 1330. Not only the Chinese people were known for the diets they consumed but also they were the first ones who detected the hormonal imbalance in people. Chinese people extracted sex hormones from a person’s urine. For this purpose they used saponin and gypsum. They used these extracted sex hormones in the treatment of issues related to sex hormones.

2. Restaurant Menu

Whenever you go to a restaurant you are given a menu, and you will be grateful to the Chinese people that they discovered it. The reason why they are the first ones to have menu cards is that they were the first ones to use paper and printing. As Chinese people have a very rich culture and trade merchants from around the world found a lot of things in China to eat, but they were not aware of all the food available in China and neither were they familiar with the food. So Chinese people thought to make a menu so that they could tell the traders which food they can eat.

1.Toilet Paper

You might find toilet paper as a very important thing but did you know that it was also discovered by the Chinese. As you already know that Chinese were the first ones to discover paper so things related to paper were also discovered by them and hence they were the first ones to use toilet papers. It was first used in 589 BC. The use of toilet paper is mentioned by Yan Zhitui.

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