Ancient China Inventions Essay example

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Since the dawn of civilization, we humans have been endeavouring to enhance the quality of life and coming with new innovations to survive. If we look back in time, various cultures have given us the opportunity to call ourselves cultured and advanced. As every country has its own set of proud inventions and discoveries, even China has an impressive claim over it. There are various Chinese inventions that have shaped the way we perceive and live in this world.

Inventions Contributed by China
History is witness to the four world famous inventions of ancient China: paper, printing (woodblock printing), gunpowder, and compass. They are considered as not only of Ancient China, but also our civilization's greatest inventions till date. But besides these remarkable inventions, there are many other inventions that the world has witnessed. In the following, I will go over each invention one by one.

Paper
Paper was one of the most important Chinese inventions. It was invented in the 2nd Century AD and was make from a variety of items.
This material was a great idea coming from the inventor Cai Lan. There are a number of requirements to create paper in the Ancient Chinese process. The materials needed are rags, rope, bark, nets, water, bamboo and waste. Early Chinese paper appears to have been made by from a suspension of hemp waste in water, washed, soaked, and beaten to a pulp with a wooden mallet. A paper mold, probably a sieve of coarsely woven cloth stretched in a four-sided bamboo frame, was used to dip up the fiber slurry from the vat and hold it for drying. Eventually, tree bark, bamboo, and other plant fibers were used in addition to hemp.
The advantages of paper are that it is more effiecient, cheaper and it can be used for many things we used today such as an umbrella, wallpaper and clothing, the best thing about paper is that is is recyclable. On the other hand the disadvantages are that is can be ripped easily, it is not water proof and that is wont last as long as other materials.
There are many benefits that impressed the Ancient Chinese in a way that the can have a better living. They could write letters so the spread of information and communicate. I guess they could post laws and everyone or most people could read them and could know them. Paper also is used for art, so drawings and paintings. Of course books, newspapers and paper money. Paper became popular and it was a good money maker too. I believe they used it to preserve some foods in example they made tea bags out of the paper to preserve it. Paper making sounds like it could offer people new jobs

Printing (Woodblock Printing)
In the 9th Century AD, the Chinese also invented printing. This made it much easier and cheaper to produce books, which helped many Chinese people to learn to read and write.
Inspired by engraved name seals, Chinese people invented fixed-type engraved printing around 600 A.D. The skill played an important role in the Song Dynasty but its shortcomings were apparent. It was time-consuming to engrave a model, not easy to store, and not easy to revise errors.

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. Because of the large number of different characters in the Chinese written language, this technique did not have a dramatic impact at the time. However, today, this typesetting technique is regarded as a revolution in the industry. About 200 years later, this moveable-type technique spread to other countries and advanced the development of world civilization.

The printing had a huge impact on the Ancient China society in ways of education, economics, religion and politics. The printing practice greatly prompted the development of education in ancient China, and
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