4 Great Inventions of Ancient China

The four great inventions are the wisdom and science and technology of ancient Chinese innovation, namely: papermaking, compass, gunpowder, and printing. The invention of papermaking: provided economic and convenient writing materials for mankind, and set off a revolution in the carrier of human writing; the invention of engraving and printing: greatly promoted the spread of culture; the invention of the compass: provided for the navigation activities of European navigators The conditions were improved; the invention of gunpowder weapons: the use of gunpowder weapons changed the mode of warfare, helped the European bourgeoisie destroy the feudal fortresses, and accelerated the historical process of Europe.

1. Papermaking造纸术

Papermaking is one of China’s four great inventions and an outstanding invention in the history of human civilization. China is the first country in the world to raise silkworms and weave silk. In ancient China, working people and above-class silkworm cocoons were drawn to weave silk, and the remaining evil cocoons and diseased cocoons were used to make silk floss by the bleaching method. After the bleaching is finished, some remnants will be left on the banquet. When the number of bleaching is increased, the residual lint on the bamboo mat will accumulate into a layer of fibrous sheet, which will be peeled off after drying and can be used for writing. There are not many by-products of this kind of drifting, and it is called Helu or Fangxu in ancient books. This shows that the origin of Chinese papermaking is related to Sixu.
Paper, one of the four great inventions of ancient China, probably originated in southern China, and is closely related to the rich bark cloth cultural system that emerged in the Lingnan region, especially around the Pearl River Estuary more than 6000 years ago. A large number of rock pats unearthed in China since the 1990s around the Pearl River Estuary including Hong Kong. Among them, the rock pats unearthed from the Xiantouling site in Shenzhen in different periods. Scientific dating shows that 6800 years ago or earlier, they are the earliest known in the world. The bark cloth made of stone shots reveals that China’s Lingnan region is the origin of the world’s bark cloth culture. Studies have shown that bark can be beaten to make a carrier like paper, and it may have existed for thousands of years. Bark cloth has long existed in South China, and Southeast Asia and Central America also have a tradition of using bark paper.

2. Compass指南针

The compass is a simple instrument used to determine the position. The predecessor was Sinan. The main component is a magnetic needle mounted on a shaft that can rotate freely.
The magnetic needle can be kept in the tangential direction of the magnetic meridian under the action of the earth’s magnetic field. The north pole of the magnetic needle points to the geographic north pole, and this feature can be used to distinguish the direction. It is often used in navigation, geodetic survey, travel and military. In the compass, N refers to the north, E refers to the east, W refers to the west, and S refers to the side.
China is recognized as the country in the world that invented the compass (Compass). The invention of the compass is the result of the long-term practice of the ancient Chinese working people on the magnetism of objects. As a result of production labor, people came into contact with magnetite and began to understand the properties of magnetism.
People first discovered the property of magnets to attract iron, and later discovered the directivity of magnets. After many experiments and researches, a practical compass was finally invented. The earliest compasses were made of natural magnets, which shows that the working people in ancient China discovered natural magnets and their iron-absorbing properties for a long time. According to ancient records, as far back as the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, due to the transition from a slavery society to a feudal society, productivity has developed greatly, especially agricultural production, which has promoted mining and smelting. The development of the industry.
In the long-term production practice, people have known magnets from iron ore. The earliest compass was Sinan. “The earliest compass theory in China is based on the theory of yin and yang and the five elements.” Guan Zengjian said that in the middle of the 11th century, the great Chinese scientist Shen Kuo was also surprised by the compass. His “Mengxi Bi Tan” introduced the compass’s theory. The method of artificial magnetization, the discovery of magnetic declination, and the method of setting up a compass, but there is no idea about why a compass is a guide—”the guide of the magnet…do not use the same principle!” Then, scholars and scholars started from the theory of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements. , Combined with people’s understanding of the shape of the earth at that time, put forward various compass theories. For example, “Guan Shi Ge Zhi Meng”, which was last written in the Song Dynasty, first proposed the following logic: “The magnetic needle is polished from iron, and iron belongs to metal. According to the five elements, gold produces water, and the north belongs to water. The water is the son of gold. Iron is produced by magnets, which are produced by yang qi. Yang qi belongs to fire and is located in the south. Therefore, the south is equivalent to the mother of magnetic needles. In this way, magnetic needles should not only care for their mothers, but also nostalgic for their children. , It will naturally point to the north-south direction.”
The compass principle of the Southern Song Dynasty people still believes that “what the compass refers to is the location of the Yang Qi”, it only revolves around the phenomenon of magnetic declination, and the argument is based more on the coordinate system that turns to the geographical position—the ancient Chinese believed that the ground was flat and limited in size. , So there must be a center on the surface of the ground, and the meridian passing through the center is the only north-south direction. The Southern Song Dynasty people Zeng Sanyi and others believed that once the measurement location is not on this north-south line, the compass will point to “less deviation”. In the Ming Dynasty, someone presupposed the author of Tuonan Tang to point out that the compass needle was determined by the geolocation system, and the deflection angle was determined by the celestial azimuth division system. Guan Zengjian believes that this statement “reflects the embarrassment of the traditional compass theory in the face of the contradiction between the yin-yang induction theory and the existence of magnetic declination.”

3. Gunpowder火药

A black or brown explosive that is mechanically mixed with potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur. At first, it is made into powder, and then it is generally made into granules of different sizes, which can be used for different purposes. Before the use of smokeless gunpowder , Has been used as the only military propellant. Gunpowder was invented by ancient Chinese alchemists in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, and it has been more than a thousand years ago. The research of gunpowder began with the alchemy of ancient Taoism. Taoist priests refined the pill for immortality. Although many Taoists and emperors were poisoned to death, its experimental method still had merits, and finally led to the invention of gunpowder. .
Although alchemists have mastered certain chemical methods, their direction is to seek the elixir of life, and the invention of gunpowder is a by-product. Alchemists often use the method of cauterizing “V” before using the sulphur, arsenic, and other highly poisonous stone medicines. “V” means surrender. To lose or reduce toxicity, this procedure is called “Fuhuo”. In the mid-Tang Dynasty, the famous Taoist Chai Xuanqi put forward a formula for abusing fire in the “fire alum method”: “Sulfur two liang, nitrate two liang, aristoloch three and a half dollars. The right is the end, mix well. Dig the pit, Put the medicine in the tank and level the ground. Put a piece of cooked fire, big marbles, lower inside, and smoke will gradually rise.” He used aristolochia instead of the saponins in Sun Simiao’s prescription. These two substances replace carbon to burn. The recipes for burning fire all contain carbon, and sulfite needs to be added with saltpeter, and sulfite needs to be added with sulfur. This shows that the alchemist deliberately wants to cause the medicine to burn in order to get rid of their severe poison. Although alchemists know that sulphur, nitrate, and carbon mixed ignition will cause a violent reaction, and take measures to control the reaction speed, but the fire accidents caused by the fire of the medicine have occurred from time to time. There is a story in “Taiping Guangji”. It is about a man named Du Chunzi who visited an old man alchemy in the early years of the Sui Dynasty. Stayed there that night. In the middle of the night, Du Chunzi woke up from his dream and saw “purple smoke passing through the house” in the alchemy furnace, and the house suddenly burned. This may be caused by the negligence of the alchemist when preparing flammable drugs.
There is also an alchemy book called “Synopsis of the True Essence and Miao Dao”, which also talked about the use of sulfur, saltpeter, realgar and honey to make alchemy. The fire burned people’s faces and hands, and even went straight to the roof and burned the house. Up. The book warns alchemists to prevent such accidents from happening. This shows that the alchemists in the Tang Dynasty have mastered a very important experience, that is, sulfur, nitrate, and carbon can form a kind of extremely flammable medicine. This medicine is called “fire-burning medicine”, that is, gunpowder. Since the invention of gunpowder came from the process of making alchemy, after the invention of gunpowder, it was once regarded as a kind of medicine. “Records of Ming Xizong”: “Xin Si on December 20th, the second year of the apocalypse, aided the Liao General Soldier Mao Wenlong to Dengfu (Yuan Keli) who sent Huang Yinen, the official official Meng Yangzhi, etc. Cloth, military weapons, gunpowder, and other items were awarded to the Imperial Seal and Banner to aid the Liao General Soldier to act cheaply and be grateful.”
“Compendium of Materia Medica” mentioned that gunpowder can cure sores and ringworms, kill insects, prevent moisture, and plague. Gunpowder cannot solve the problem of immortality, and it is easy to catch fire. Alchemists are not interested in him. The formula of gunpowder was transferred from alchemists to military strategists, and it became black gunpowder, one of the four great inventions of ancient China.
The ball-shaped gunpowder is wrapped near the head of the arrow. After the fuse is lit, the gunpowder is shot out with a bow and arrow to burn the enemy. There is also gunpowder, poison, plus some asphalt, tung oil, etc., to make a poisonous ball. After being lit, it is shot with a bow and arrow to kill and injure the enemy. In the Song Dynasty, people filled the gunpowder in a bamboo tube. A small “directional rod” was pierced behind the gunpowder to ignite the gunpowder on the tube, causing the gunpowder in the tube to burn rapidly, generating forward thrust, and making it fly towards the enemy line and explode. , This is the world’s first gunpowder rocket. Later, muskets and guns were invented. These are primitive tube-shaped firearms made of bamboo tubes. They are the ancestors of modern guns.
Europeans only understood the role of black powder in the 13th century. After centuries of development and improvement, mainly the invention of granular powder and flash caps, black powder weapons gradually replaced cold weapons in land warfare tactics and siege. The fortification technology and the development and tactics of naval battleships have had revolutionary influences. Black powder was used as an explosive and propellant until the middle and late nineteenth century. Newly invented explosives such as Explosives, Penta Explosives and Cyclone Explosives have been replaced. These new explosives are not Chinese inventions.

4. Typography印刷术

According to historian Deng Guangming’s textual research, block printing was invented in the Tang Dynasty and began to be widely used in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. Although movable type printing was invented in Song Dynasty, block printing is still commonly used. The earliest surviving printed matter in the world is the “Diamond Sutra” printed in the 9th year of Tang Xiantong (868 AD) (it is 4877 mm long and 244 mm high, and is made up of seven pieces glued together to form a volume. There is a picture of Sakyamuni at the beginning of the volume. At the end, there is the inscription “Wang Jie made a general practice for the second relatives on April 15, Xiantong Year.” It was originally collected in the Thousand Buddha Caves of Dunhuang, Gansu, and discovered in 1899. It was stolen by the British Stein in 1907 and now exists in London, England. British Museum). It affects the preservation and circulation of knowledge just like papermaking. In addition, the development of printing has no direct relationship with the early seals. Ancient seals were used in ancient Egypt, ancient Greece, and Mesopotamia. American archaeologists in Anau, Turkmenistan, Central Asia, unearthed a Central Asian seal 4,300 years ago in October 2000. The text is still to be examined.
China’s four great inventions were introduced to the West one after another before the emergence of modern European civilization, which had a certain impact on the development of Western science and technology. The use of gunpowder and firearms destroyed the ideological shackles of European Catholicism in the Middle Ages. The compass was passed to the hands of European navigators, making it possible for them to discover the Americas and realize voyages around the world, laying the foundation for the development of world trade and handicraft industries for the West.
Needham’s praise and emphasis on these four great inventions made this statement a great recognition in China and it was written into textbooks. Engels wrote in “Artillery” published in 1857: “In China, saltpeter and other pyrotechnic agents were mixed to make pyrotechnic powder in a very early period, and it was used in military affairs and grand ceremonies.” Gunpowder It was first recorded in the alchemy books of the late Tang Dynasty in the 9th century AD.
In 904 AD, Yang Xingmi’s army besieged Yuzhang (now Nanchang, Jiangxi), and the general Zheng Fan ordered his troops to “start flying fire, burn the dragon sand gate, and lead the heroes to enter the city first and scorch the quilt”. This was the earliest use of gunpowder. According to military records, the earliest gunpowder weapons appeared in the Dunhuang murals of the Five Dynasties period.
The Dunhuang (in the case of Guiyijun) frescoes from the tenth century and the Five Dynasties period are the earliest known depictions of muskets and grenades. The world’s earliest metal blunderbuss were unearthed in Heilongjiang, China. They were made in 1288 and are now in the Heilongjiang Provincial Museum.