Four Great Inventions of Ancient China

--------Gun Powder

Known as "Blazing Medicine" in

Chinese, the gun powder is made by three kinds of ancient folk

medicine : saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal. Since the Qin Dynasty,

people have been using saltpeter

and sulfur to make drugs. The substances once exploded accidentally, the drug makers were astonishingly inspired,

so they tested many times in order to carry out effective explosions. An outstanding technician in the Three Kingdom

Period, Ma Jun, has made a kind a firecracker toy by packing the gun powder inside a piece of paper. It was the

first true application of the gun powder.

During the latter years of the Tang Dynasty, the gun

powder began to serve the military field. The gun powder is the mother of modern firearms and weaponry.

Four Great Inventions of Ancient China

------Compass

Before the invention of the

compass, ships were frequently lost in the big oceans and the

consequences would be so dire. The Chinese invented the compass

that solved the problem. In pre-Qin time the Chinese have

already obtained the knowledge of geomagnetism. People called the magnet as the "Kind Stone" which meant "a

caring mother is so loved by her children.”

The first compass appeared during the Warring States

Period, it was made of a piece of loadstone. As science and technology developed in ancient China, the technique in

manufacturing compass has improved so much. The apparatus became an essential tool for sea voyages during

the Yuan Dynasty. The compass is widely used all around the world today.

Four Great Inventions of Ancient China --------

PaperMaking

In the Shang Dynasty (about 3,500 years before present), the Chinese had already have their own written characters, which were known as the "oracle bone" because the words were carved on

animal's bones or tortoise's shell. During the Warring States Period, bamboo and wooden plates were instead of bones. In 105 AD, a man named Cai Lun combined the knowledge of

paper making in the past, invented a kind of cheap plant fiber paper, which was made of cortex, broken fishnets and cloths. Since then, paper has been popular among common people.

The paper making technique was introduced to Korea and Japan in the 7th century and the Arab World in the 8th. In the 12th century, the Europeans began to adopt this technique. The invention of paper making is a great contribution to the

world's cultural development and international communication.

Four Great Inventions of Ancient China

------Movable Type Printing

With the inventions of

paper and ink, stamper gradually became popular during

the Jin Dynasty (265-420).

In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), a man named Bi Sheng

carved individual characters on identical pieces of fine

clay. Each piece of movable type had on it one Chinese

character which was carved in relief on a small block of

moistened clay. After the block had been hardened by

fire, the type became hard and durable and could be

used wherever required.

Chinese Wax Painting

Chinese wax printing is a special Chinese handicraft typical

of ethnic characteristics and local styles. As one of the most

antique handworks, it is perceived as an important part of

China's ancient civilization.

Wax printing, which is known as the first printing in

the East, is the most ancient handicraft in China. More than

two thousand years ago, in Qin and Han Dynasties, China

began to print pictures on the cloth and dye it later. When

the wax was removed, the pictures could be seen. In the

Tang Dynasty, products of wax printing were exported to

Europe and Asia.

Blue-white porcelain

Blue-white porcelain is most famous among the four

traditional types of porcelain produced in Jiangdezhen, and is

renowned as the "ever-lasting blue flower."

Since the 14th century, manufacturers have shipped blue-

white porcelain to world markets. The porcelain reached its

peak in the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911). Its thin, translucent

quality and exotic motifs made it very valuable throughout

Europe and the colonies, ranking first among blue-white

porcelain nationwide.

In 1979 Jingdezhen blue-white porcelain won a national

golden prize and in 1985 it was honored with three gold

medals at international fairs held in Leipzig, Brno, etc. Since

then, the name "Jingdezhen Blue-white Porcelain" has spread

far and wide. By far, it is a top product in the porcelain

business, boasting the most prizes and highest standards.

Fish painting

The words for fish and abundance are pronounced the same in

Chinese (鱼,yu) so the fish in the Chinese culture symbolizes wealth.

Fish also symbolize harmony, marital happiness and reproduction

because they multiply rapidly and sometimes swim in pairs.

Plum Blossom painting

In the midst of winter, before snow melts and the swallow returns, plum

trees blossom onto the barren landscape, bracing the harshness of winter

and reminding people spring will come. Celebrated here is the vitality of life,

endurance through hardship, and hope that life will regenerate.

The plum blossom has been an important symbol in Chinese culture. As a

“friend of winter,” the plum blossom most vividly represents the value of

endurance, as life ultimately overcomes through the vicissitude of time. The

fragrance of plum blossoms “comes from the bitterness and coldness,” as the

Chinese saying goes. Souls are tempered in the depth of experience, growing

in inner strength and unyielding courage.

Unity of culture and nature has been an important part of the Chinese

tradition, and elements of nature embody important cultural values. The plum,

together with the orchid, bamboo, and chrysanthemum, have been named the

“four nobles” of plants by the ancient Chinese, each because of its noble

characteristics, such as purity (orchid), uprightness (bamboo), and humility

(chrysanthemum).

Chinese bamboo painting

In traditional Chinese culture, bamboo is a symbol of Oriental

beauty. It represents the character of moral integrity, resistance,

modesty and loyalty. It also stands as an example of loneliness and

elegance, among others. This value becomes one of the major

themes in Chinese painting, calligraphy and poetry. For thousands of

years, generations of artists praised bamboo in the name of this

spirit.

Bamboo has the title of "gentleman" among other plants. As a

symbol of virtue, bamboo is always closely related to people of

positive spirits. Famous Tang Dynasty (618-907) poet Bai Juyi

(772-846) summarized the merits of bamboo according to its

characteristics: its deep root denotes resoluteness, straight stem

represents honorability, its interior modesty and its clean exterior

exemplifies chastity. Bamboo culture always plays a positive role in

encouraging people to hold on when facing tough situations.

Paper cutting

China papercutting is a unique art, which may benefit from the fact that paper is invented by Chinese

and dates back to ancient China. The people cut animals, flowers and figures in the paper with a pair of

scissors or a knife mainly to decorate their doors and windows.Papercutting is also called window flower or

cutting picture.

Papercutting also has long history and represents strong national style and local features. It was mostly

popular in Qing Dynasty and many skills were developed at that time. Some did drafts first and then made final

cutting. Some did cutting by means of smoked paper.

Though small piece of paper is, it can reflect many aspects of life like prosperous atmosphere, healthy

persons and harvest year, etc. Some is even drawned from stories representing common goals and expects

to happiness.

Chinese porcelain

The porcelain china is the transliteration of the place name Changnan,

which was the old name for the porcelain town of today's Jingdezhen (Jingde

Town). In the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), people built their cave-houses

and cut logs to make pottery. And in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), people

combined the advantages of celadon from the southern Yue kiln and white

porcelains from the northern Xing kiln, and with the high-quality earth of

the Gaoling Mountain in Changnan Town they produced a kind of white &

green porcelain. This porcelain was smooth and bright, and hence earned

another name of artificial jade. It became famous both home and abroad

and exported to Europe in large quantities.