What did the ancient Chinese discover? Great inventions of the Chinese

Ancient China is one of the most vibrant ancient civilizations, which became the cradle for the development of many sciences. This civilization left a huge legacy, scientific ideas, inventions and technologies, which the entire modern world uses to this day.

The ancient Chinese civilization is credited with many discoveries and inventions, such as the discovery of gunpowder and the technology of making paper. Other significant technologies invented by this culture were firearms, seismoscope (a device for predicting earthquakes). These discoveries are attributed to Zenge Henge, who was also named Houfeng Didong Yi. Inventions that are regarded as the greatest discoveries of ancient Chinese civilization - the compass, papermaking technology, printing and gunpowder, are still one of the most important achievements of mankind.

Compass

The compass was one of the most important technological discoveries of ancient China, which promoted and aided research sponsored by the Chinese government. The invention of the compass made China one of the most powerful countries in the world. The Chinese Empire was indeed called powerful and remained in this title until the end of the monarchy in China.

The origin of the compass can be dated back to the 4th century BC. A book called "The Book of the Devil's Valley Master" describes the natural magnet accordingly. "Magnetite was the first substance used by the Chinese for a compass." And this compass was first invented during the Song Dynasty. Records dated between 1040 – 1044, describing an invention made of magnetite as a direction indicator. This invention, or more correctly called the compass, looked like a small fish and was kept on a piece of wood dangling in a bottle of water. Official records of the Song Dynasty read as "a fish-shaped stone that pointed to the south."

Chinese explorers have used the compass for centuries to help conduct trade with distant lands. The compass was also widely used in land exploration. Chinese writers describe it as "a landmark in the darkness of the night." The writer, philosopher and scientist Shen Kuo first described the structure of the dry compass, which had a magnetic needle, in his book published in 1088. The principle of operation was the same, but the dry compass did not float in a bottle, but was attached to a wooden box. And although such a compass was more convenient to use, the cost of this device was much more expensive. The wet compass was used until the Europeans introduced the dry one.

Paper making

Unfortunately, the dynasty to which the invention of paper belongs is not known. But it is known that this discovery greatly advanced the development of science and created many advantages - it contributed to the preservation of the works of philosophers, scientists and writers of ancient China. Paper, which was invented in ancient China, was not only used as a writing medium, but creative Chinese innovators also used it as a raw material for manufacturing bags as well as banknotes.

The history of the invention of paper supposedly falls during the reign of the Han dynasty, which reigned from 202 to 220 AD. The court scientist Kai Lun set himself the goal of creating paper. To do this, he used mulberry, flax fibers, used material - old rags and hemp waste, and even fishing nets to tie the fibers together.

Some archaeological evidence, however, suggests that paper in ancient China may have been invented during the 8th century BC.

This immature form of paper was not originally suitable for writing, and was originally used as a wrapping medium. At the end of the 3rd century AD, this raw material became a popular writing material, and in the 6th century it was even used as toilet paper.

Tea was the favorite drink of the Chinese people even in the Teng Dynasty (618 AD - 907 AD). The Chinese came up with the idea of using paper to make tea bags, which preserved the taste and smell of the drink. The government of the Song Dynasty (960 AD - 1279 AD) was the first to use paper to make banknotes.

Printing

The invention of printing is regarded as one of the most important inventions of mankind, thanks to the fact that books became cheaper and more accessible. Cheaper books guaranteed the prosperity of culture and science. Many dynasties, courtiers and scholars from ancient China contributed to the development of printing. Printing technology dates back to around 868 BC. with the release of the first printed book, The Diamond Sutra. The book was printed with wooden keys. It was considered one of the Song Dynasty's most important contributions to technology. The writer Shen Kuo, who was also a courtier, announced that printing would be used to spread knowledge. Bi Sheng, an artisan, invented movable ceramic printing.

Powder

One of the destructive inventions of ancient Chinese civilization is gunpowder. The invention of gunpowder led to the invention of firearms and the emergence of new wars on the Asian continent. In the 9th century AD Chinese alchemists, who were looking for the elixir of eternal life, accidentally discovered the explosive properties of gunpowder. In the 10th century, Asia began to use grenades, the first imperfect bombs and firearms on the battlefield.

Of all the invented technologies of ancient China, gunpowder and firearms are regarded as the most useful, popular and, of course, the most destructive. Many scientists and inventors played significant roles in the development of science in ancient Chinese civilization. The Chinese also showed their technological developments in the field of agriculture, textile industry, design of various structures, medicine and even archaeology. Unfortunately, many of these discoveries have not survived to this day.

The four great inventions of ancient China - this is how the famous researcher of Chinese culture Joseph Needham dubbed paper, printing, gunpowder and a compass invented in the Middle Ages in his book of the same name. It was these discoveries that contributed to the fact that many areas of culture and the arts, previously accessible only to the rich, became the property of the general public. The inventions of ancient China made it possible and long journeys, which allowed the discovery of new lands. So, let's look at each of them in chronological order.

Ancient Chinese Invention No. 1 - Paper

Paper is considered the first great invention of ancient China. According to Chinese records of the Eastern Han Dynasty, invented paper Han Dynasty court eunuch Cai Long in 105 AD.

In ancient times, in China, before the advent of paper, bamboo strips rolled into scrolls, silk scrolls, wooden and clay tablets, etc. were used for recording. The most ancient Chinese texts or “jiaguwen” were discovered on tortoise shells, which date back to the 2nd millennium BC. e. (Shang Dynasty).

In the 3rd century, paper was already widely used for writing instead of more expensive traditional materials. The paper production technology developed by Cai Lun consisted of the following: a boiling mixture of hemp, mulberry bark, old fishing nets and fabrics was turned into pulp, after which it was ground to a homogeneous paste and mixed with water. A sieve in a wooden cane frame was immersed in the mixture, the mixture was scooped out with the sieve, and the liquid was shaken to drain. At the same time, a thin and even layer of fibrous mass was formed in the sieve.

This mass was then tipped onto smooth boards. Boards with castings were placed one on top of the other. They tied the stack together and placed a load on top. Then the sheets, hardened and strengthened under the press, were removed from the boards and dried. A sheet of paper made using this technology was light, smooth, durable, less yellow and more convenient for writing.

Ancient Chinese Invention No. 2 - Printing

The advent of paper, in turn, led to the advent of printing. The oldest known example of woodblock printing is a Sanskrit sutra printed on hemp paper between approximately 650 and 670 CE. However, the first printed book with a standard size is considered to be the Diamond Sutra, made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It consists of scrolls 5.18 m long. According to scholar of traditional Chinese culture Joseph Needham, the printing methods used in the calligraphy of the Diamond Sutra are far superior in perfection and sophistication to the miniature sutra printed previously.

Set fonts: The Chinese statesman and polymath Shen Kuo (1031-1095) first outlined the method of printing using set font in his work "Notes on the Brook of Dreams" in 1088, attributing this innovation to the unknown master Bi Sheng. Shen Kuo described process production of baked clay type, printing process and production of typefaces.

Bookbinding Technique: The advent of printing in the ninth century significantly changed the technique of bookbinding. Towards the end of the Tang era, the book evolved from rolled up scrolls of paper into a stack of sheets resembling a modern brochure. Subsequently, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the sheets began to be folded in the center, making a “butterfly” type binding, which is why the book has already acquired a modern look. The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) introduced the stiff paper spine, and later during the Ming Dynasty sheets were stitched with thread.

Printing in China has made a great contribution to the preservation of the rich culture that has developed over centuries.

Ancient Chinese Invention No. 3 - Gunpowder

Gunpowder is believed to have been developed in China in the 10th century. At first it was used as a filling in incendiary shells, and later explosive powder projectiles were invented. Gunpowder guns, according to Chinese chronicles, were first used in battles in 1132. It was a long bamboo tube into which gunpowder was placed and then set on fire. This “flamethrower” caused severe burns to the enemy.

A century later, in 1259, a gun that fired bullets was invented for the first time - a thick bamboo tube into which a charge of gunpowder and a bullet was placed.

Later, at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, metal cannons loaded with stone cannonballs spread in the Celestial Empire.

In addition to military affairs, gunpowder was also actively used in everyday life. Thus, gunpowder was considered a good disinfectant in the treatment of ulcers and wounds, during epidemics, and it was also used to poison harmful insects.

However, perhaps the most “bright” invention that appeared thanks to the creation of gunpowder are fireworks. In the Celestial Empire they had a special meaning. According to ancient beliefs, evil spirits They are very afraid of bright lights and loud sounds. Therefore, since ancient times on New chinese year There was a tradition in the courtyards of lighting fires from bamboo, which hissed in the fire and burst with a crash. And the invention of gunpowder charges undoubtedly frightened the “evil spirits” seriously - after all, in terms of the power of sound and light, they were significantly superior to the old method. Later, Chinese craftsmen began to create multi-colored fireworks by adding various substances to gunpowder.

Today, fireworks have become an indispensable attribute of New Year celebrations in almost all countries of the world.

Ancient Chinese Invention No. 4 - Compass

The description of a magnetic compass for determining the cardinal directions was first set out in the Chinese manuscript “Wujing Zongyao” in 1044. The compass worked on the principle of residual magnetization from heated steel or iron blanks, which were cast in the shape of a fish. The latter were placed in a bowl of water, and weak magnetic forces appeared as a result of induction and residual magnetization. The manuscript mentions that this device was used as a heading indicator paired with a mechanical “chariot that points south.”

A more advanced compass design was proposed by the already mentioned Chinese scientist Shen Ko. In his “Notes on the Brook of Dreams” (1088), he described in detail the magnetic declination, that is, the deviation from the direction of true north, and the design of a magnetic compass with a needle. The use of a compass for navigation was first proposed by Zhu Yu in the book “Table Talks in Ningzhou” (1119).

Note:

In addition to the four great inventions of ancient China, the craftsmen of the Celestial Empire gave our civilization the following useful things: the Chinese horoscope, drum, bell, crossbow, erhu violin, gong, martial arts “wushu”, qigong health gymnastics, fork, noodles, steamer, chopsticks, tea , soy cheese tofu, silk, paper money, nail polish, bristle toothbrush, toilet paper, kite, gas cylinder, Go board game, playing cards, porcelain and much more.

Not a single day passes without a huge number of inventions created many thousands of years ago. We are so busy with everyday affairs that in the hustle and bustle we don’t think about the fact that this might not exist. Anyone who has ever forgotten their phone at home understands how dependent everyone is on it. everyday life modern man. What if it didn't exist at all? What would have happened if other everyday things for us had not been invented? The lion's share of all common household items and gadgets is produced in China. Although today most goods from China are not the country’s own developments, many centuries ago China brought the world a huge number of valuable inventions, amazing and unknown to Western civilization.

1. Silk.
Every woman knows how pleasant this material is. He is the personification of luxury and tenderness to this day. Silk is a material made from silk thread made from a cocoon silkworm, the thread has a triangular cross-section, which is why the fabric shimmers beautifully and has an attractive shine for everyone. Among all the types of fabrics invented in modern times, silk remains the king in the textile industry. Its price is still the highest, and not everyone can afford something made from this beautiful material. The reason for the increased cost is the manufacturing technology that is inaccessible to everyone. For thousands of years, the Chinese managed to keep the manufacturing method a secret. So to create silk, an unprecedented number of cocoons is required. Maintaining secrecy ensured producers dominance in the silk market, as everyone knows about the Silk Road that connected China and Europe. The demand for silk provided China with the establishment of trade relations and unprecedented economic growth.

2. Alcohol.
Scientists date the invention of ethanol and isopropyl alcohol to the ninth millennium. This is evidenced by recent archaeological excavations in Henan province, where traces of alcohol were found on fragments of ceramics. The results obtained finally put an end to the dispute about who invented alcohol, the Chinese or the Arabs. This invention was prompted by the improvement of vinegar and soy sauce using fermentation and distillation method. Thus, as a result of experiments, alcohol was born.

3. Gunpowder.
This is the most ancient invention of China, according to Legends, it appeared as a result of alchemists’ search for the elixir of immortality. It was created by accident when creating a mixture that prolongs human life, but contrary to the hopes of Chinese alchemists it turned out to be deadly weapon, which can kill a person in a matter of seconds.
The first composition of gunpowder included saltpeter, charcoal and sulfur. This became known from the book of Zeng Guoliang, who spoke about weapons and military tactics of that time. According to the book, gunpowder was used as an explosive, as well as for flares and fireworks.

4. Paper.
Lai Cun is the name of the creator, the first prototype of the paper. According to some sources, Lai Tsun lived in 105 BC. and was a eunuch at the court of the Han Dynasty. In those days, writing materials were thin strips of bamboo and silk. The paper appeared as a result of a mixture of wood fibers and water, which were pressed with cloth. Before this, people wrote on stones, papyrus and clay tablets, and even used turtle shells.

5. Typography.
The invention of paper contributed to an increase in the literacy of the population, which gave impetus to the development of education in general. With the rise of literacy, there was a need to transmit longer texts. The ruling strata of the population, to consolidate their decisions and identification, used the seal. Making seals was a special art. Each seal was created unique and had no analogues of its kind. Based on the principle of transferring images onto paper using printing, the Chinese came to printing. In China there was no censorship or control over printed publications, so this industry was quite widespread. The first historical mention of a printed book dates back to the seventh century. During the Sunn Dynasty, printing spread rapidly. It is known that in the eighth century there were more than one hundred family publishing houses in the provinces of Zhejian and Fujian.
The invention of printing was accompanied by the appearance of fonts and binding. “Notes on the Brook of Dreams” is the first work describing the technological process of making type from baked clay and producing sets of fonts and seals. Book author, famous statesman, and the scientist Shen Ko, writes that this innovation belongs to an unknown master.

6. Pasta.
The oldest bowl of noodles was found in China, its age is more than seven thousand years. It is made from two types of millet grains, the same technology used to make modern Chinese noodles. But until now, various excavations confuse scientists and make them doubt who should take precedence. Italians and Arabs are China's main competitors in this matter.

7. Compass.
Travel and military campaigns, maps and sea voyages, all this would be complicated by determining the course if there were no such thing as a compass. For the fact that we can get from one point to another, we should pay tribute to the inventors of ancient China. The first compass made it possible to determine the southern direction, the most important part of the world, according to the Chinese. The material from which the first compass was made was a magnet.

8. Seismograph.
One of the most important inventions of ancient China was the first seismograph, invented by the imperial astronomer Zhang Heng. The first Seismograph was a vessel with nine dragons depicted on it. Under each dragon there were figures of frogs with open mouths. Inside the vessel hung a pendulum, which in the event of an earthquake would begin to move and inform everyone of trouble. Thanks to a complex mechanism, it could even show the epicenter of an earthquake.

9. Kite.
The laws of aerodynamics that allow airplanes to take off were already known to some extent to the Chinese. In the fourth century BC, two lovers of philosophy, Gongshu Ban and Mo Di, built a snake that looked like a bird. Many thought it was just a toy, but for humanity it was an advance in the field of science. The first airplanes and flying machines owe to the experience that the Chinese gave us by flying a kite into the sky.

10. Hang glider.
This modern device for entertainment was invented in ancient China. By experimenting with the size of a kite, a device was created capable of lifting and holding a person in the sky. The authorship of this device is unknown.

11. Chinese tea.
Every person on this planet has tried tea at least once, and many of us drink it every day. In China, tea has been known since the first millennium. There are references to a healing infusion made from tea tree leaves. The invention of the Chinese is a method of brewing and obtaining a tea drink.

12. Umbrella
The birthplace of the folding umbrella, according to some sources, is also in China. The existence of the umbrella has been known since the 11th century. In China, an umbrella was used to protect high-ranking dignitaries from the sun. So the emperor and his entourage took him on his walks, so the umbrella was a symbol of wealth and luxury.

13. Wheelbarrow.
The Chinese are great builders, and the invention of the wheelbarrow helped them in this. Wheelbarrow is an object that facilitates manual transportation of goods, and also allows a person to lift and carry more weight. It was invented in the second century by a general named Yugo Liang. He came up with a basket on one wheel; later his design was supplemented with handles. Initially, the function of the wheelbarrow was defensive and was used in military operations. For many centuries, the Chinese kept their invention secret.

14. Porcelain.
Porcelain is used in everyday life and is considered the best material for making tableware. Porcelain dishes have a beautiful, glossy surface that perfectly complements the design of any kitchen and transforms any dinner. Porcelain has been known since 620 in China. Europeans experimentally obtained porcelain only in 1702. In Italy, France and England, attempts were made to make porcelain for two centuries.

The inventions of Ancient China also include: horoscope, drum, bell, crossbow, violin, gong, martial arts "Wushu", gymnastics "Qigong", fork, steamer, chopsticks, soy cheese "tofu", paper money, varnish, playing cards cards and more.

Even before our era, Chinese scientists, mechanics and just random lucky people came up with simple but brilliant things. Without these things it is difficult to imagine the life of a modern person.

This paper was made for China in the 2nd century BC.

PAPER

It is difficult to imagine life without school notebooks, documents or a passport. The paper from which all this is made was invented in China at the turn of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. According to the Chinese chronicles of the Eastern Han Dynasty, paper was invented by the court eunuch of the Han Dynasty - Cai Long in 105 AD. In ancient times in China, before the advent of paper, bamboo strips rolled into scrolls, silk scrolls, wooden and clay tablets, etc. .d. The most ancient Chinese texts or “jiaguwen” were discovered on tortoise shells, which date back to the 2nd millennium BC. e. (Shang Dynasty).

In the 3rd century, paper was already widely used for writing instead of more expensive traditional materials. The Chinese Cai Lun made it from mulberry bark. It is not surprising that the ancient sheet of paper has survived to this day! It's so durable it's more like a lightweight body armor. The secret of making paper remained a Chinese monopoly for the next 800 years.

An illustration given in the book of the scholar Wang Zhen (1313) shows compositing letters, which are arranged in a special order according to the sectors of the round table

TYPOGRAPHY

The advent of paper, in turn, led to the advent of printing. The oldest known example of woodblock printing is a Sanskrit sutra printed on hemp paper between approximately 650 and 670 CE. However, the first printed book with a standard size is considered to be the Diamond Sutra, made during the Tang Dynasty (618–907). It consists of scrolls 5.18 m long. According to scholar of traditional Chinese culture Joseph Needham, the printing methods used in the calligraphy of the Diamond Sutra are far superior in perfection and sophistication to the miniature sutra printed previously.

The advent of printing in the ninth century significantly changed the technique of weaving. Towards the end of the Tang era, the book evolved from rolled up scrolls of paper into a stack of sheets resembling a modern brochure. Subsequently, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the sheets began to be folded in the center, making a “butterfly” type binding, which is why the book has already acquired a modern look. The Yuan Dynasty (1271–1368) introduced stiff paper spines, and later during the Ming Dynasty sheets were stitched with thread.

Printing in China has made a great contribution to the preservation of the rich culture that has developed over centuries.

The earliest artistic depiction of gunpowder weapons, the era of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms (907-960 AD).

POWDER

Gunpowder is believed to have been developed in China in the 10th century. It was first used as a filling in incendiary projectiles, and later explosive gunpowder projectiles were invented. Gunpowder guns, according to Chinese chronicles, were first used in battles in 1132. It was a long bamboo tube into which gunpowder was placed and then set on fire. This “flamethrower” caused severe burns to the enemy. A century later, in 1259, a gun that fired bullets was invented for the first time - a thick bamboo tube that held a charge of gunpowder and a bullet. Later, at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries, metal cannons loaded with stone cannonballs spread in the Celestial Empire.

However, perhaps the most “bright” invention that appeared thanks to the creation of gunpowder are fireworks. In the Celestial Empire they had a special meaning. According to ancient beliefs, evil spirits are very afraid of bright light and loud sounds. Therefore, since ancient times, on the Chinese New Year, there was a tradition in the courtyards of burning bonfires made of bamboo, which hissed in the fire and burst with a bang. And the invention of gunpowder charges undoubtedly frightened the “evil spirits” seriously - after all, in terms of the power of sound and light, they were significantly superior to the old method. Later, Chinese craftsmen began to create multi-colored fireworks by adding various substances to gunpowder.

COMPASS

The first prototype of the compass is believed to have appeared during the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), when the Chinese began using magnetic iron ore oriented north-south. True, it was not used for navigation, but for fortune telling. In the ancient text "Lunheng", written in the 1st century AD, in chapter 52, the ancient compass is described as follows: "This instrument resembles a spoon, and if it is placed on a plate, its handle will point to the south." Description of the magnetic compass for determination The cardinal directions were first set forth in the Chinese manuscript “Wujing Zongyao” in 1044. A more advanced design of the compass was proposed by the Chinese scientist Shen Ko. In his “Notes on the Brook of Dreams” (1088), he described in detail the magnetic declination, that is, the deviation from the direction of true north, and the design of a magnetic compass with a needle. The use of a compass for navigation was first proposed by Zhu Yu in the book “Table Talks in Ningzhou” (1119).

ICE CREAM

Is there anyone these days who doesn’t eat it? Unless due to medical contraindications. Meanwhile, ice cream was also invented in China. At first his recipe was this: milk plus snow. Everything ingenious is simple! And Marco Polo brought the idea of ice cream to Europe along with another miracle

Ancient noodles

NOODLES

Here is the second miracle brought to us famous traveler from the mysterious new country in 1292. Italian spaghetti, pasta, noodles in your bowl of chicken soup - all this exists because China once invented a dish that could be stored for a long time: inexpensive and tasty. The oldest surviving noodles are 4,000 years old. It survived to this day by chance, because the clay vessel turned out to be tightly covered with earth. In China itself, noodles are a symbol of longevity and strength, so they are traditionally served at weddings and on New Year's Eve.

Emperor Sui Yan-di

AUTOMATIC DOOR When Emperor Sui Yan-di (VII century) entered one of the five cabinets of his luxurious library (there were fourteen in total), the door wings leaned back, the curtains covering the doors moved apart, and the statues of saints in front of the door moved apart. It looked like magic, but there was no trace of mysticism. The Emperor enjoyed one of the most amazing (given that we're talking about about ancient centuries) inventions of the Chinese - automatic doors.

ZOOTROP

- this primitive predecessor of cinema, which the Chinese called the "magic lantern" - existed among the objects of the treasury of Qin Shi Huang (ruled 221-210 BC) from the Qin dynasty (221-206 BC). The soothsayer Shao Ong, who organized spiritualistic seances for Emperor Wu Ti (reigned 141 - 87 BC), possibly using a zoetrope in his actions in 121 BC. The first reliable evidence of the use of a zoetrope in China dates back to the end of the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), when about 180 AD e. artisan Ding Huan made a “nine-story incense burner.” These were bird- and animal-like figures that began to move when the lamp was lit. The convection of the rising current of warm air caused the blades at the top of the lamp to rotate, and the painted paper figures attached to the cylinder gave the impression that they were moving. Toys of this type were made in China in later eras.

ZERO

...without which we cannot imagine mathematics, numbers and the decimal number system were also invented by Chinese mathematicians. It is known that the Chinese used the decimal number system 2300 years before it was introduced in Europe. That is, in the 14th century BC.

TOILET PAPER

...an everyday object in our everyday life. But in China for a long time After its invention, only the imperial family was allowed to use toilet paper. Toilet paper was first mentioned in historical sources in 589. And already in the middle of the 19th century, in one province of Zhenjiang, 10 million packs of toilet paper were produced in a year.

Silkworm cocoons

SILK

... invented by the Chinese. But beautiful story the story of how Emperor Huang Di's wife was drinking tea and a silkworm cocoon fell into her cup is simply a legend. According to this legend, in the water the cocoon unraveled into thin threads and a smart woman figured out how to use it. But in fact, the cocoon is not so easily divided into silk threads. And silk was invented long before Huang Di reigned. In 3630 B.C. it definitely already existed.

SUNGLASSES

...also invented in China. Only now you will be even more surprised. The ancient Chinese did not use tinted glasses to protect themselves from the sun. They were worn by judges during hearings to make it easier for them to hide their emotions from what they heard.

Apparently, the fork is a primitive Chinese chopstick.))

FORK

Did you think that in China they only eat with chopsticks? But no! Back in the burials of 2400, archaeologists discovered bone forks. So they were invented in China. And they began to use chopsticks there only in the Middle Ages. The Chinese believe that they are much more convenient if you get used to them.

Chinese toothbrush

TOOTHBRUSH

The Egyptians were the first to brush their teeth. But they did this with the help of a twig, having first chewed and tousled it. But the toothbrush in its almost modern form appeared in China. The cleaning surface in it was natural bristles taken from the backbone of a boar, very hard. It was attached to a bamboo handle and brushed teeth without any additional means. This invention was made in 1498 and, as it turned out, was quite dangerous. Archaeologists did not immediately realize that the grooves on the teeth of the Chinese of that time were the result of the use of a toothbrush.

Alcohol

The very first producers of alcohol in Chinese legends are Yui Di and Du Kang from the Xia Dynasty (about 2000 BC - 1600 BC). Research shows that regular beer, with an alcohol content of 4% to 5%, was widely consumed in ancient China and was even mentioned in oracle writings as an offering. for spirits during sacrifices in the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC - 1046 BC). After some time, the Chinese discovered that adding more boiled grain to the water during fermentation increased the alcohol content of the drink, so they began to appear stronger alcoholic drinks. Around 1000 BC The Chinese created an alcoholic drink that was stronger than 11%. The powerful influence of this alcoholic drink on people was mentioned in poetry throughout the Zhou Dynasty (1050 BC-256 BC). Meanwhile, no beer in the West reached 11% until the 12th century, when the first distilled alcohol was created in Italy.

Scientists date the invention of ethanol and isopropyl alcohol to the ninth millennium. This is evidenced by recent archaeological excavations in Henan province, where traces of alcohol were found on fragments of ceramics. The results obtained finally put an end to the dispute about who invented alcohol, the Chinese or the Arabs. This invention was inspired by the improvement of vinegar and soy sauce using the fermentation and distillation method. Thus, as a result of experiments, alcohol was born.

Iron and steel smelting

Archaeologists were able to prove that iron, made from molten cast iron, was developed in ancient China at the beginning of the 5th century. BC during the reign of the Zhou Dynasty (1050 BC - 256 BC). During the Shang Dynasty (1600 BC-1046 BC) to the Eastern Zhuo Dynasty (1050 BC-256 BC), China entered a period of prosperity steel smelting. In the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD), private iron production enterprises were abolished and monopolized by the state. The first known metallurgist in ancient China is Qiy Huiwen of the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-557 AD), who invented the process of using wrought iron and cast iron for steel production.

SEISMOGRAPH

One of the most important inventions of ancient China was the first seismograph, invented by the imperial astronomer Zhang Heng. The first Seismograph was a vessel with nine dragons depicted on it. Under each dragon there were figures of frogs with open mouths. Inside the vessel hung a pendulum, which in the event of an earthquake would begin to move and inform everyone of trouble. Thanks to a complex mechanism, it could even show the epicenter of an earthquake.

Restaurant menu

In 960-1279. urban shopkeepers of the merchant middle class often did not have time to eat at home. Therefore, they decided to eat at various public places such as temples, taverns, tea houses, food stalls and restaurants. These latter built their business on nearby brothels, houses of singing girls and drama theaters. Foreign travelers and Chinese who migrated to the cities from regions with different cooking styles also dined in the restaurants. To meet the demand for a variety of tastes, menus have emerged in city restaurants

Kite
The laws of aerodynamics that allow airplanes to take off were already known to some extent to the Chinese. In the fourth century BC, two lovers of philosophy, Gongshu Ban and Mo Di, built a snake that looked like a bird. Many thought it was just a toy, but for humanity it was an advance in the field of science. The first airplanes and flying machines owe to the experience that the Chinese gave us by flying a kite into the sky.

Locks and the Grand Canal of China

A shipping canal in China, one of the oldest existing hydraulic structures in the world. It was built over two thousand years - from the 6th century. BC e. until the 13th century n. e. The gateway was first invented in the 10th century. engineer Qiao Weiyu during the construction of the Grand Canal of China.

Hang glider
This modern device for entertainment was invented in ancient China. By experimenting with the size of a kite, a device was created capable of lifting and holding a person in the sky.

PORCELAIN
Porcelain is used in everyday life and is considered the best material for making tableware. Porcelain dishes have a beautiful, glossy surface that perfectly complements the design of any kitchen and transforms any dinner. Porcelain has been known since 620 in China.

Europeans experimentally obtained porcelain only in 1702. In Italy, France and England, attempts were made to make porcelain for two centuries.

Mustard weapon

An amazing weapon of Ancient China, the prototype of modern chemical weapons, is lime-mustard smoke. The first mention of this weapon dates back to the 4th century BC. To repel an enemy attack or suppress an uprising, the Chinese mixed burnt mustard with other chemicals, placed the mixture in bellows, and used them to spray it onto the enemy. Often, a similar method was used in the case of undermining a besieged fortress: usually the opponents dug tunnels towards the attackers, and they dispersed poisonous gas underground.

WHEELBARROW

The Chinese are great builders, and the invention of the wheelbarrow helped them in this. A wheelbarrow is an object that facilitates manual transportation of goods, and also allows a person to lift and carry more weight. It was invented in the second century by a general named Yugo Liang. He came up with a basket on one wheel; later his design was supplemented with handles. Initially, the function of the wheelbarrow was defensive and was used in military operations. For many centuries, the Chinese kept their invention secret.

Chinese tea
Every person on this planet has tried tea at least once, and many of us drink it every day. In China, tea has been known since the first millennium. There are references to a healing infusion made from tea tree leaves. The invention of the Chinese is a method of brewing and obtaining a tea drink.

UMBRELLA
The birthplace of the folding umbrella, according to some sources, is also in China. The existence of the umbrella has been known since the 11th century. In China, an umbrella was used to protect high-ranking dignitaries from the sun. So the emperor and his entourage took him on his walks, so the umbrella was a symbol of wealth and luxury.

Invention of the mechanical watch

Water clock of Su Song

A mechanical watch is an invention that we still use today. According to research, the first prototype of a mechanical watch was invented by Yi Xing, a Buddhist monk and mathematician of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). At first, the clocks were not entirely mechanical and were essentially water clocks. Water steadily dripped onto the wheel, which made a full revolution every 24 hours. Later the clock was modified and a system of bronze and iron hooks, pins, locks and rods was added. Hundreds of years later, Su Song, an astronomer and mechanic of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), created a more complex clock, making it the ancestor of modern clocks.

Invented in China deep well drilling method. This happened in the first century BC. The invented method made it possible to drill holes in the ground, the depth of which reached one and a half thousand meters. The drilling rigs used today operate on a principle similar to that invented by the ancient Chinese. But in those distant times, towers for securing tools reached 60 meters in height. Workers laid stones with holes in the middle of the required area to guide the tool. Today, guide tubes are used for this purpose.

The oldest surviving banknote

PAPER MONEY

And also invented in China! You have all heard about the Great Silk Road, along which countless trade caravans traveled. At first, merchants began to issue trade receipts to each other, because in order to conclude wholesale trade transactions they had to carry with them unrealistic large number copper money. And then the state found itself in a difficult situation: a shortage of copper began to be observed, many mines were exhausted and closed. To ease the load on the mint and combat shortages, they turned to the successful experience of merchants. 16 banks were authorized to print paper money. Later, banks were prohibited from doing this and a single state body was created, and money began to be backed by silver and gold at the state level.

Mobile mechanical theater

The inventors of the field mill, Xie Fei and Wei Mengbian of the late Zhao era (319-351 AD), also invented a complex mechanical theater mounted on a cart. His figures were put into action driving force(that is, they moved when the cart moved forward). From 335 to 345 n. e. these two inventors worked in court under Emperor Shi Hu (334–349), who belonged to the Jie ethnic group. Made by them vehicle had four wheels, was 6 meters long and about 3 meters wide. On it stood a large golden statue of Buddha and next to it a Taoist statue that was constantly rubbing its front with a mechanical hand. The Buddha was also surrounded by ten wooden Taoists who revolved around him, periodically bowing to him, saluting him and throwing incense into the censer. Above the Buddha there were nine taps in the form of dragon heads through which water flowed. As in the field mill and the "threshing wagon" of these two inventors, when the carriage stopped, all the moving parts of the mechanical statues and the gushing taps stopped.

Jade Robe

The body has decayed, but the clothes have been preserved. They were made from thousands of pieces of cut and polished jade. Each piece was connected to its neighbors with gold wire. Jade, or jadeite according to the beliefs of the ancient Chinese, had magical properties. The use of objects made from this material as funeral utensils has been known since the Neolithic.

Tray covered in red varnish om and decorated with gold foil with engraving, XII - early XIII century

Wooden mechanical action figures from the tomb of guards from the Tang Dynasty (618–907)

An amazing invention belongs to a mechanic named Huan Gun, who lived in the 7th century. He designed seven boats (possibly equipped with a paddle wheel) that moved along a predetermined route along the stone canals of the imperial garden. The boats stopped near the emperor's guests and served them, pouring wine. The most amazing thing was that mechanical figures of animals and people acted as cupbearers and wine pourers. They moved at the same time: they filled the cup, passed it to the guest and took away the empty one. The boat then sailed towards the other guests.

ARBA, drawn by a buffalo, 581-618 AD.

Window crank handle the Chinese have been using it for at least 2000 years

CHROMIUM- application: Chrome was first learned to be used in China no later than 210 BC. e. This is the date when not far from modern city The Terracotta Army was buried in Xi'an. Archaeologists have discovered that the bronze arrowheads from the crossbows in the Terracotta Army showed no signs of corrosion after 2,000 years of storage, for the simple reason that the Chinese coated them with chrome. As is known, chromium was not used anywhere until the experiments of Louis Vauquelin (1763-1829) in 1797-1798.

Earliest proven use salt took place on Lake Yuncheng, in 6000 BC.

The most first matches for making fire appeared in China in 577 AD. e. They were invented by the court ladies of the Northern Qi state.

The craftsmen of the Celestial Empire gave our civilization the following useful things: Chinese horoscope, ink, drum, bell, crossbow, erhu violin, diet, fasting, acupuncture, gong, martial arts "wushu", qigong health gymnastics, steamer, chopsticks, horse harness, soy cheese tofu, fan, varnish, gas cylinder, iron plow, rowing oars, Go board game, playing cards, mahjong, whistle and much more.

The most ancient period of Chinese civilization is considered to be the era of the existence of the Shang state, a slave-owning country in the Yellow River valley. Already in this era, ideographic writing was discovered, which, through long improvement, turned into hieroglyphic calligraphy, and a monthly calendar was compiled in basic terms.

Chinese culture has made a huge contribution to world culture. Thus, at the turn of the millennium, paper and ink were invented for writing. Also at about the same time, writing was created in China. Rapid cultural and technological growth in this country began just with the advent of writing.

But whatever the culture of China, today it is the property of global culture, just like any other national culture. Inviting millions of tourists every year, this country willingly shares with them its cultural attractions, telling about its rich past and offering a lot of travel opportunities.

Paper - an invention of ancient China

The first great invention of ancient China is considered paper. According to the Chinese chronicles of the Eastern Han Dynasty, paper was invented by the Han Dynasty court eunuch Cai Long in 105 AD.

Artifacts such as ancient stuffing material and wrapping paper dating back to the 2nd century were found. BC The oldest example of paper is a map from Fanmatan near the city of Tianshui.

In the 3rd century. paper were already widely used for writing instead of more expensive traditional materials. The paper production technology developed by Cai Lun consisted of the following: a boiling mixture of hemp, mulberry bark, old fishing nets and fabrics was turned into pulp, after which it was ground to a homogeneous paste and mixed with water. A sieve in a wooden cane frame was immersed in the mixture, the mixture was scooped out with the sieve, and the liquid was shaken to drain. At the same time, a thin and even layer of fibrous mass was formed in the sieve.

Inventions of ancient China: paper Huiji banknote, printed in 1160

The Han Chronicle of 105 reports that Cai Lun "made paper from tree bark, rags and fishing nets and presented it to the emperor." Since then, paper has replaced silk and bamboo from Chinese offices, and paper production has reached gigantic proportions (trade departments alone consumed about 1.5 million sheets annually). Both writing paper was produced, the raw materials for which were mulberry bark, ramie, seaweed, and various exquisite types of paper, for the production of which, for example, sandalwood bark was used, which gave it a lasting aroma. For household needs, paper was made from rice or wheat flour (for example, paper wallpaper or toilet paper). Because Chinese paper absorbs ink well, it was ideal for painting and calligraphy. Production technology changed in the 10th century, when bamboo began to be used instead of mulberry bark to make writing paper. Bamboo branches cut in the spring were soaked in water for a long time, after which the bark was separated from the fibers, the wood was mixed with lime, and the resulting mass was dried. But with the advent of cheap industrially produced paper from the middle of the 19th century. handicraft paper production began to decline rapidly.

Printing is an invention of ancient China

The advent of paper, in turn, led to the advent of printing. The oldest known example of woodblock printing is a Sanskrit sutra printed on hemp paper, approximately between 650 and 670 CE. AD However, the first printed book with a standard size is considered to be the Diamond Sutra, made during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). It consists of scrolls 5.18 m long. According to scholar of traditional Chinese culture Joseph Needham, the printing methods used in the calligraphy of the Diamond Sutra are far superior in perfection and sophistication to the miniature sutra printed previously.

Typesetting fonts

The Chinese statesman and polymath Shen Kuo (1031-1095) first outlined the method of printing using typeface in his work “Notes on the Stream of Dreams” in 1088, attributing this innovation to the unknown master Bi Sheng. Shen Kuo described the technological process for producing baked clay type, the printing process, and the production of typefaces.

Binding technology

The emergence of printing in the ninth century significantly changed the technique of weaving. Towards the end of the Tang era, the book evolved from rolled up scrolls of paper into a stack of sheets resembling a modern brochure. Subsequently, during the Song Dynasty (960-1279), the sheets began to be folded in the center, making a “butterfly” type binding, which is why the book has already acquired a modern look. The Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368) introduced the stiff paper spine, and later during the Ming Dynasty sheets were stitched with thread. Printing in China has made a great contribution to the preservation of the rich culture that has developed over centuries.

In ancient times in China, to identify an official or a master, a seal with carved family characters was used instead of a signature. They are still used by Chinese artists today. Carving hieroglyphs on stone seals has always been considered not only skill, but also a refined art. These seals were the predecessors of the boards from which book printing began. The oldest examples of printed books date back to the first half of the 8th century, and their widespread distribution dates back to the period of the Song Dynasty (X-XIII). The absence of state monopoly and censorship for a long time favored the development book market. By the 13th century. There were more than 100 family publishing houses in the provinces of Zhejiang and Fujian alone. In China, printing spread in the form of woodcuts (printing from boards on which a mirror image of the printed text was cut out), which made it possible to preserve the graphic features of the original manuscript and, if necessary, replace characters, as well as combine printed text and engravings. Its final appearance is Chinese printed book arrived by the 16th century, largely reproducing samples of the Sung era and had the appearance of a stitched notebook. And since the 17th century. The technique of color engraving was mastered in China.

Inventions of ancient China: An illustration given in the book of the scholar Wang Zhen (1313) shows typesetting letters, which are arranged in a special order according to the sectors of the round table.

Compass - an invention of ancient China

First prototype compass, is believed to have originated during the Han Dynasty (202 BC – 220 AD), when the Chinese began using north-south oriented magnetic iron ore. True, it was not used for navigation, but for fortune telling. In the ancient text "Lunheng", written in the 1st century. BC, in chapter 52, the ancient compass is described as follows: “This instrument resembles a spoon, and when placed on a plate, its handle will point south.”

Inventions of ancient China: Model of a Chinese compass from the Han Dynasty

Description magnetic compass to determine the cardinal directions was first set forth in the Chinese manuscript “Wujing Zongyao” in 1044. The compass worked on the principle of residual magnetization from heated steel or iron blanks, which were cast in the shape of a fish. The latter were placed in a bowl of water, and weak magnetic forces appeared as a result of induction and residual magnetization. The manuscript mentions that this device was used as a heading indicator paired with a mechanical “chariot that points south.”

Magnet has been known to the Chinese since ancient times. Back in the 3rd century. BC they knew that a magnet attracts iron. In the 11th century The Chinese began to use not the magnet itself, but magnetized steel and iron. At that time, a water compass was also used: a magnetized steel needle in the shape of a fish 5-6 cm long was placed in a cup of water. The needle could be magnetized through strong heating. The fish's head always pointed south. Subsequently, the fish underwent a number of changes and turned into a compass needle.

Already during the Han Dynasty in China, they knew that identical magnetic poles repel each other, and different ones attract each other. In the X-XIII centuries. The Chinese discovered that a magnet only attracts iron and nickel. In the West, this phenomenon was discovered only at the beginning of the 17th century. English scientist Gilbert.

In navigation compass began to be used by the Chinese in the 11th century. At the beginning of the 12th century. The Chinese ambassador, who arrived in Korea by sea, said that in poor visibility conditions, the ship steered solely according to the compass attached to the bow and stern, and the compass needles floated on the surface of the water.

Around the end of the 12th century. The Arabs brought the Chinese water compass to the West.

Gunpowder - an invention of ancient China

Powder was developed in China in the 10th century. It was first used as a filling in incendiary projectiles, and later explosive gunpowder projectiles were invented. Gunpowder barreled weapons, according to Chinese chronicles, were first used in battles in 1132. It was a long bamboo tube into which gunpowder was placed and then set on fire. This “flamethrower” caused severe burns to the enemy.

A century later, in 1259, a gun that fired bullets was invented for the first time - a thick bamboo tube that held a charge of gunpowder and a bullet. Later, at the turn of the XIII - XIV centuries. Metal cannons loaded with stone cannonballs spread throughout the Celestial Empire.

Fireworks

However, perhaps the most “bright” invention that appeared thanks to the creation of gunpowder is fireworks. In the Celestial Empire they had a special meaning. According to ancient beliefs, evil spirits are very afraid of bright light and loud sounds. Therefore, since ancient times, on the Chinese New Year, there was a tradition in the courtyards of burning bonfires made of bamboo, which hissed in the fire and burst with a bang. And the invention of gunpowder charges undoubtedly frightened the “evil spirits” seriously - after all, in terms of the power of sound and light, they were significantly superior to the old method. Later, Chinese craftsmen began to create multi-colored fireworks by adding various substances to gunpowder. Today, fireworks have become an indispensable attribute of New Year celebrations in almost all countries of the world. Some believe that the inventor of gunpowder or the harbinger of the invention was Wei Boyang in the 2nd century.

Chinese technologies in metallurgy

In (403-221 BC) the Chinese had the most advanced technology in metallurgy, including blast furnaces and cupola furnaces, and the forge and puddling process were known during the Han Dynasty (202 BC - 220 AD). The emergence of a complex economic system in China gave rise to the invention of paper money during the Song Dynasty (960-1279). The invention of gunpowder gave rise to a number of unique inventions such as the burning spear, land mines, sea mines, arquebuses, exploding cannonballs, multi-stage rockets and rockets with aerodynamic wings. Using a navigation compass and using it, known from the 1st century. helm with a sternpost, Chinese sailors achieved great success in steering a ship on the high seas, and in the 11th century. they swam to East Africa and Egypt. As for water clocks, the Chinese have used an anchor mechanism since the 8th century, and a chain drive since the 11th century. They also created large mechanical puppet theaters driven by a water wheel, a spoked wheel, and a vending machine driven by a spoked wheel.

The contemporaneous cultures of Peiligang and Pengtoushan are the oldest Neolithic cultures of China, they arose around 7 thousand BC. Neolithic inventions of prehistoric China include sickle-shaped and rectangular stone knives, stone hoes and shovels, the cultivation of millet, rice and soybeans, sericulture, the construction of earthen structures, houses plastered with lime, the creation of the potter's wheel, the creation of pottery with cord and basket designs, creating a ceramic vessel with three legs (tripod), creating a ceramic steamer, as well as creating ceremonial vessels for fortune telling. Francesca Bray argues that the domestication of oxen and buffaloes during the Longshan period (3000-2000 BC), the lack of irrigation and high-yield crops in the Longshan era, the fully proven cultivation of drought-resistant grain crops that produce high yields "only when the soil carefully processed." This explains the high agricultural yields that fueled the rise of Chinese civilization during the Shang Dynasty (1600-1050 BC). Together with the subsequent invention of the seed drill and the steel moldboard plow, Chinese agricultural production could feed a much larger population.

Seismoscope - an invention of ancient China

During the late Han era, imperial astronomer Zhang Heng (78-139) invented the world's first seismoscope, which noted weak earthquakes over long distances. This device has not survived to this day. Its design can be judged from an incomplete description in Hou Han Shu (History of the Second Han). Although some details of this device are still unknown, general principle quite clear.

Seismoscope was cast from bronze and looked like a wine vessel with a domed lid. Its diameter was 8 chi (1.9 m). Around the circumference of this vessel were placed the figures of eight dragons or only the heads of dragons, oriented in eight directions of space: the four cardinal points and intermediate directions. The dragons' heads had movable lower jaws. Each dragon has a bronze ball in its mouth. Eight bronze toads with their mouths wide open were placed next to the vessel under the heads of the dragons. The vessel likely contained an inverted pendulum, similar to that found in modern seismographs. This pendulum was connected by a system of levers to the movable lower jaws of the dragon heads. During an earthquake, the pendulum began to move, the mouth of the dragon, located on the side of the epicenter of the earthquake, opened, the ball fell into the toad’s mouth, producing a strong noise, which served as a signal for the observer. As soon as one ball fell out, a mechanism inside was activated to prevent other balls from falling out during subsequent pushes.

As the chronicles testify, the device acted quite accurately. Zhang Heng's seismoscope was sensitive even to detect small tremors passing over a distance of hundreds of li (0.5 km). The effectiveness of this device was demonstrated shortly after its manufacture. When the ball first fell from the dragon's mouth, no one at court believed that it meant an earthquake, since the tremors were not felt at that moment. But a few days later a messenger arrived with news of an earthquake in the city of Longxi, which was located northwest of the capital at a distance of more than 600 km. Since then the duty officials The astronomical department was to record the directions of origin of earthquakes. Later, similar instruments were built many times in China. Three centuries later, the mathematician Xintu Fan described a similar instrument and may have made it. Ling Xiaogong made a seismoscope between 581 and 604 AD. By the time of Mongol rule in the 13th century. the principles of making a seismoscope were forgotten. The first seismograph appeared in Europe in 1703.

Chinese tea

In China tea has been known since ancient times. In sources dating back to the 1st millennium BC. There are references to a healing infusion obtained from the leaves of the tea bush. The first book on tea, Classic Tea, written by the poet Lu Yu, who lived during the Tang Dynasty (618-907), talks about the various methods of growing and preparing tea, and the art of drinking tea. Tea became a common drink in China already in the 6th century.

There are many legends about the origin of tea. One of them tells about a holy hermit who moved away from the world, settling on a hillside in a secluded hut. And then one day, as he sat, immersed in thought, sleep began to overwhelm him. No matter how he struggled, he became increasingly sleepy, and his eyelids began to close against his will. Then, so that sleep would not interrupt his thoughts, the hermit took a sharp knife, cut off his eyelids and threw them to the side so that his eyes could not close. From these centuries the tea bush grew.

According to another legend, Emperor Shen Non was the first to try tea by accident. Leaves from a wild camellia growing nearby fell into the boiling water. The aroma that wafted from the drink was so tempting that the emperor could not resist taking a sip. He was so amazed by the taste that he made tea a national drink.

Nowadays in China, tea is grown mainly in the provinces of Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Fujian and Guangdong. The lower slopes of the hills are best suited for growing tea bushes. The seeds of the tea bush are first sown in special “nurseries”, from where, after a year, the sprouts are transplanted to the plantation. From a three-year-old bush you can already start collecting leaves. During the summer season, as a rule, 4 collections are carried out: the first - in April (white tea is obtained from the leaves of this collection), the second - in May, the third - in July and the fourth - in August. Each subsequent harvest produces a coarser leaf with less flavor. Best tea received in the first two collections. Only young green tea shoots are collected, at the end of which there are no more than 2-3 leaves and a bud. The bud can be either just set or half-bloomed. Fully blossomed flowers have no value for tea, because... do not transfer their aroma to the brew. The top of a tea shoot (2-3 leaves and a bud) is called flush. The best tea is obtained when the picker picks a flush with 1-2 top leaves and a half-opened bud. In addition, the best tea flushes are collected from the apical shoots rather than the side shoots, where they are coarser. Typically, tea made from the top three leaves (including the bud) is labeled on the packets as “Golden Tea,” and tea made from the top three leaves without buds is labeled “Silver Tea.” Often, elite teas also have instructions - “first leaf”, “second leaf”, “third leaf”. This indicates that this tea varietal blend is dominated by hand-selected apical leaves.

Initially, Chinese teas were only green. Black tea appeared much later, but here too the Chinese were pioneers. And as new fermentation technologies developed, white, blue-green, yellow, and red teas emerged.

The most popular varieties of tea are green (liu cha) and black tea (hong cha). Although they are prepared from the leaves of the same shrub, they differ in color, taste, etc. This difference appears due to the processing methods. To obtain green tea, the castings are poured onto mats for simmering for two to three hours. After this, they are placed for five minutes in round iron frying pans, slightly heated from below by fire, and constantly stirred and turned over. Under the influence of heat, the leaves burst and become moist and soft from the juice. After this, they are placed on bamboo tables and rolled out by hand. In this case, part of the juice is squeezed out and flows out through the cracks of the table, while the leaves themselves curl up. Then they are again laid out on mats and kept for some time in the shade in the open air. Next comes the toasting process. The leaves are again placed in the pan and heated, stirring constantly. As a result, they gradually dry out, shrink, and curl up. After about an hour, the roasting is complete, and after sifting through a series of sieves and sorting, the tea is ready.

To receive the same black tea The first drying in air lasts from twelve to twenty hours. During this time, slight fermentation occurs in the leaves. Roll out the leaves on the tables more vigorously, so as to squeeze out as much juice as possible. Then they are laid out in the open air for two to three days for further fermentation. The main difference in preparing green and black tea lies in this process. Heating in frying pans and rolling is repeated until all the juice has been squeezed out. Final toasting stops fermentation. After this, the tea is sifted and sorted. There are a huge variety (more than 600) of different varieties of Chinese tea, special rituals and methods of brewing tea, and tea drinking ceremonies. These traditions have not been lost in China to this day.

China - the birthplace of silk

For a long time, for the West, China was primarily the homeland silks. Even the Greek name for China - Seres, from which the names of China in most European languages originate, goes back to the Chinese word Sy - silk. Weaving and embroidery have always been considered an exclusively female activity in China; absolutely all girls, even those from the highest class, were taught this craft. The secret of silk production has been known to the Chinese since ancient times. According to legend, to breed silkworms, process silk and Chinese women were taught to weave silk threads by Xi Ling, the wife of the first emperor Huang Di, who, according to legend, reigned more than 2.5 thousand BC. As the patroness of sericulture, a separate temple was dedicated to her. Every spring, the emperor's eldest wife collected mulberry leaves and sacrificed them. Silk fabric is made from threads obtained from the cocoons of silkworms. Their breeding requires a lot of attention and painstaking work. Great care must be taken, since even noise, drafts or smoke can harm them, and the temperature and humidity in the room must be carefully regulated. And you can feed the worms only with leaves of the mulberry tree, and completely clean, exclusively fresh and dry. Worms are very fragile creatures, susceptible to various diseases: an entire colony can die in just one day if not carefully cared for. In early April, small caterpillars hatch from the eggs, and in 40 days it reaches mature age and they can already spin cocoons. An adult caterpillar, as a rule, is flesh-colored, 7-8 cm long and as thick as a little finger. These caterpillars weave cocoons on specially prepared bundles of straw. The process lasts 3-4 days, and the length of the thread of one cocoon ranges from 350 to 1000 meters. Silk is obtained from the cocoon by so-called unwinding. The cocoon consists of a silk thread and glue that holds this thread together. To soften it, the cocoon is thrown into hot water. Since the thread of one cocoon is too thin, as a rule, they take the threads of 4-18 cocoons and, having connected them, pass them through an agate ring and attach them to a reel, which slowly rotates, and the threads, passing through the ring, are glued into one. Thus, raw silk is obtained. It is so light that 1 kg of finished fabric contains from 300 to 900 kilometers of thread.

Mostly sericulture are engaged in Southern and Central China. Natural silk can be white or yellow. The first is produced mainly in the provinces of Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, Anhui, Shandong and Hubei. This variety is produced by the caterpillars of the “domestic silkworm,” which is fed only with garden mulberry leaves. Natural yellow silk is produced in the provinces of Sichuan, Hubei and Shandong. To obtain a yellow color, the caterpillars are fed the leaves of Zhe trees for the first half of their life (it is similar to mulberry and grows in the mountains), and only in the other half of their life are they given garden mulberry leaves. There is another variety of silk - wild silk, it is produced by the “wild silkworm” caterpillar, which feeds on leaves different breeds oak This silk is brown in color and difficult to dye.

Weaving art of China

Has quite a long history Chinese tradition artistic weaving and dyeing. Samples of weaving art dating back to the second half of the 1st millennium BC have survived to this day almost unchanged. These are a variety of types of silk, from thin gauze to brocade. Many of them are embroidered with ornaments in the form of mythical animals, various geometric shapes. Chinese weaving flourished during the Tang Dynasty. Sources of that time mention 50 varieties of patterns on silk: “dragons frolicking among flowers”, “lotus and reeds”, “water grasses with fish”, “peonies”, “dragon and phoenix”, “palaces and pavilions”, “pearls” with grains of rice”, etc. Many of these motifs already existed in the Han era and have survived to this day. During the Song era, beautiful woven images on silk appeared, made in the style of "engraved silk" (ke si). Silk paintings form an integral part cultural heritage China. Calligraphic inscriptions and landscapes of famous artists were often reproduced on them. In his books on fine household items, Wen Zhenheng states that “an exalted husband cannot help but keep one or two such paintings in his house among other paintings.” The quality of Chinese woven products, which typically used gold and silver threads, is unmatched in the world. Suffice it to say that the frequency of threads in the works of Chinese masters is 3 times higher than that in the best French tapestries, and the gold embroidery in them has not faded even after the 6th – 7th centuries.

Chinese porcelain

Chinese porcelain is known throughout the world and is highly valued for its extraordinary quality and beauty; the word “porcelain” itself means “king” in Persian. In Europe of the 13th century. it was considered a great treasure; the treasuries of the most influential persons contained examples of Chinese ceramic art, inserted by jewelers into gold frames. There are many myths associated with it, for example, in India and Iran it was believed that Chinese porcelain has magical properties and changes color if poison is mixed into food.

Ceramic art traditionally well developed in China, ceramics from the Shang period (2 thousand BC) are of not only historical, but also artistic value. Later, products made from proto-porcelain appeared, which the Western classification classifies as so-called stone masses, since it does not have transparency and whiteness. The Chinese, on the contrary, value porcelain primarily for its sonority and durability, and therefore consider proto-porcelain to be true porcelain. Among the beautiful ceramics of the Tang period, the first examples of “real” white matte porcelain are found. At the beginning of the 7th century. Chinese ceramists learned to produce porcelain masses mixed from feldspar, silicon and kaolin - the most important element of the porcelain mass, which got its name from Mount Gaoling, where it was first mined. Firing the porcelain mass at high temperatures made it possible to obtain hard, white, translucent ceramics. Tang porcelain ceramics continued in their massive and rounded forms the traditions of ancient potters, but necks in the form of bird heads and serpentine handles imitating the forms of Iranian vessels indicate a noticeable foreign influence. Then there was a desire for uniformity of the surface of the vessel, which was later developed by Sung ceramists.

Heyday ceramic production in China during the Song Dynasty. The increased demand for porcelain products generated a huge number of new kilns and led to imperial patronage of the production. From V – VI centuries. in the north and south of China there were special departments that supervised the production of high-quality ceramics. Song porcelain is characterized by simplicity and elegance of forms, smooth monochrome glazes and restraint of ornaments. The finest milky-white ceramics with delicate carved or stamped patterns were called “din” ceramics; sometimes iron oxides were added to the glaze and then black, brown, green, purple or red vessels were obtained. Much later, during the Qing era, the popularity of single-color vessels led to the appearance of an almost endless number of glaze colors.

Production of polychrome painted porcelain began during the Yuan Dynasty, when they began to make the famous blue underglaze painting on a white background. During the Ming Dynasty, this technique was improved and began to be combined with five-color overglaze paintings (wucai). The development of colored enamels technology led to the emergence of three “families” of Chinese porcelain. “Green Family” are products painted on a white background in several shades of green. Typically, the vessels of this family depicted battle scenes or simply figures and flowers. Products with color painting on a deep black background were called the “black family”. Porcelain painted in soft pink tones with iridescent shades on the subject of “women and flowers” received the name “pink family”.

During the Ming Dynasty, porcelain became somewhat of a strategic commodity and was supplied in huge quantities to the countries of Europe and Asia, even reaching South Africa through Arab traders. The enormous scale of porcelain exports in the Ming era and subsequent years is evidenced by the fact that in 1723, 350 thousand porcelain products were sold to the French city of Lorient alone. And for many Europeans to this day the term "Minsk vase" means all Chinese ceramics.

Suspension bridges - an invention of ancient China

Since ancient times, the Chinese have paid great attention to the construction of bridges. Initially, they were built only from wood and bamboo. The first stone bridges in China date back to the Shang-Yin era. They were built from blocks laid on overpasses, the distance between which did not exceed 6 m. This method of construction was used in subsequent times, having undergone significant development. For example, during the Song Dynasty, unique giant bridges with large spans were built, the size of which reached 21 m. Stone blocks weighing up to 200 tons were used.

Suspension bridges were invented in China, and their chain links were made of malleable steel instead of woven bamboo. Cast iron was called “raw iron,” steel was called “great iron,” and malleable steel was called “ripened iron.” The Chinese were well aware that during “ripening” iron loses some important component, and described this process as “loss of life-giving juices.” However, without knowing chemistry, they could not determine that it was carbon.

In the 3rd century. BC suspension bridges have gained popularity. They were built mainly in the southwest, where there are many gorges. The most famous Chinese suspension bridge is the Anlan Bridge in Guanxiang. It is believed that it was built in the 3rd century. BC engineer Li Bin. The bridge has a total length of 320 m, a width of about 3 m and is composed of eight spans.

Other Chinese inventions

Archaeological finds of trigger mechanisms suggest that crossbow weapon appeared in China around the 5th century. BC The archaeological materials found are bronze devices of some sort of arrow-throwing weapon. In the famous dictionary “Shi Min” (Interpretation of Names), created by Lu Xi during the Han Dynasty in the 2nd century. BC, it is mentioned that the term "ji" is used to apply to this type of weapon, which resembles a crossbow.

Throughout long history When riding horses, people did without support for their feet. Ancient peoples - Persians, Medes. The Romans, Assyrians, Egyptians, Babylonians, and Greeks did not know stirrups. Around the 3rd century. the Chinese managed to find a way out of the situation. By that time they were already quite skilled metallurgists and began to leak stirrups made of bronze and iron. This invention was brought to the West by the warriors of the Zhuan-Zhuan tribe, which became known as the Avars. The success of their cavalry was due to the fact that they were equipped with cast iron stirrups. Around the middle of the 6th century. The Avars settled between the Danube and Tissa. In 580, Emperor Mark Tiberius issued a military manual, the Strategikon, which laid out the basics of cavalry technology. It also emphasized the need to use iron stirrups. This was the first mention of them in European literature.

Decimal system Calculus, fundamental to all modern science, first arose in China. Evidence can be found confirming its use dating back to the 14th century. BC, during the reign of the Shang Dynasty. An example of the use of the decimal system in Ancient China is an inscription dating back to the 13th century. BC, in which 547 days are designated as "five hundred plus four tens plus seven days." Since ancient times, the positional number system was understood literally: the Chinese actually put counting sticks in the boxes assigned to them.

Ancient China made an invaluable contribution to the development of science and technology. The entire richness of their culture is amazing, and it is impossible to overestimate its importance for world culture. Many of the discoveries made by Europeans were much later, and technologies long kept secret allowed China to flourish and develop for many centuries independently of other countries. It is obvious that this heritage gives the Chinese the strength to actively develop even now, because the country’s culture, its history is something that no one can take away, it is something that instills pride and confidence in every decent citizen.

Student: Tuikov A.S.
Head: Zaparii V.V.

The Chinese invented original technologies in the fields of mechanics, hydraulics, mathematics as applied to the measurement of time, metallurgy, astronomy, agriculture, mechanical design, music theory, art, navigation and warfare.