The 13 most remarkable inventions from ancient China

Papermaking appeared during the Han Dynasty when a court official named Cai Lun improved earlier paper forms around AD 105. 

Before this, people wrote on bamboo or silk, but these materials cost a lot and were hard to get. 

Instead, paper was made from tree bark or cloth scraps were a much cheaper and easier way to write. 

This change made writing supplies more available and, as a result, more people learned to read and write because of it. 

The first printing method used woodblocks and began in the Tang Dynasty. 

In this method, people carved a whole page of text onto a wooden board to which they then applied ink and pressed it onto paper. 

Later, in the Song Dynasty, Bi Sheng created movable type printing. He carved individual characters on small blocks so they could be moved and reused. 

These printing methods made it possible to produce many copies of books and helped spread ideas and knowledge quickly. 

The compass was first used for fortune-telling and choosing auspicious sites during the Han Dynasty (206 BC – AD 220), but later helped sailors navigate during the Song Dynasty (AD 960 – 1279). 

Early compasses were made from lodestone, a naturally magnetic rock. 

Later, the improved compass became a crucial tool that helped discover new trade routes across the South China Sea and Indian Ocean. 

That development had a major effect on world history, allowing travel and trade around the globe. 

Gunpowder was invented during the Tang Dynasty and may have first served as a medical ingredient. 

Soon after, however, its explosive power was used for weapons, which led to new arms like hand cannons and fire lances. 

Aside from its military use, it also had peaceful applications in mining and building. 

Perhaps most well-known today it is use in producing colourful fireworks. 

The Great Wall of China is an engineering feat that stretches over 13,000 miles. 

At first, construction began as early as the 7th century BC, when various states built walls to protect their lands. 

Then, during the Qin Dynasty, Emperor Qin Shi Huang ordered these walls to be joined into one system to guard against attacks from the north. 

Over the subsequent centuries, people kept building and repairing the wall until its final stone form appeared during the Ming Dynasty. 

People began built the Grand Canal in sections from the 5th century BC and was finally completed during the Sui Dynasty in the 7th century AD.

It connected the Yellow River and the Yangtze River and it quickly became the main route for moving goods such as grain and silk. 

Most importantly, it linked the wealthy south with the political centre in the north. 

To achieve this, the Chinese had to solve many engineering problems, such as different water levels and rough terrain, but it shows the advanced water management skills that already existed in ancient China. 

The Segmental Arch Bridge, though less well known than many of the other items on this list, is an important engineering feat. 

The segmental arch design, which used an arc smaller than a half circle, used less material and made stronger spans that stood up to damage better than a full semicircular arch.  

For example, the Zhaozhou Bridge was built during the Sui Dynasty and is the oldest all-stone example of this bridge type. 

At over 120 feet in length, it held the record for the largest arch of its kind at that time. 

This design was well ahead of others and influenced later bridge building around the world. 

Acupuncture, one of China’s most famous medical practices, began by at least the 2nd century BC. 

This healing method uses thin needles in specific points on the body to even out ‘Qi’ or life energy.

In fact, doctors in ancient China believed illness happened when this energy was uneven.

As a result, it was thought that acupuncture helped even out the energy and helped the body heal. 

Even today, people still use it, and it has been shown to help with pain relief and treat different health issues. 

The Chinese Materia Medica, or ‘Shennong Bencao Jing’, is a medicine guide that was written around the first century AD and lists hundreds of plants and how to use them. 

Ancient Chinese herbal doctors used these herbs to keep people healthy and stop disease. 

This approach to health looks at the body, mind and environment to find an effective cure and has influenced modern integrative and preventive medicine. 

The South Pointing Chariot was an early navigation device that used gears to keep a pointer aimed south no matter how the chariot moved. 

This device shows the advanced mechanical engineering and knowledge in ancient China. 

Porcelain, which is simply called ‘China’ in the West, was first made in the Han Dynasty. It soon became an important export on the Silk Road.

By the Song Dynasty, potters had mastered making white, semi-transparent porcelain that they called ‘true porcelain.’ 

It was well known for its beauty and strength, and was in high demand around the world. 

Silk has been made in China since before 3000 BC. For centuries, people kept the process of raising silkworms and making silk a secret, and, as a result, was a sign of luxury and power.

It played a key role in trade and gave its name to the Silk Road, the trade routes that linked East and West. 

Silk has influenced art, fashion and culture around the world for thousands of years. 

Tea growing and drinking began in China during the Tang Dynasty, when a dedicated ‘tea culture’ took off.

Lu Yu wrote The Classic of Tea, the first detailed book about the drink. Since then, how people grow tea, prepare it and use it in ceremonies has greatly influenced Asia and to the rest of the world.