Four-Great-Inventions—四大发明

FourGreatInventionsTheFourGreatInventionsareinventionsfromancientChinathatarecelebratedinChineseculturefortheirhistoricalsignificanceandassymbolsofancientChina'sadvancedscienceandtechnology.FourGreatInventionsGunpowderPapermakingPrintingCompassReferenceWebsitesFourGreatInventionsSummaryPapermakingFourGreatInventionsBeforetheinventionofpaper,characterswerewrittenonanimalbones,turtlebacksorstones.Later,silkandmorewidelyusedbambooslipsandwoodentabletswereusedtorecordthings.FourGreatInventionsThepapermadeduringthewesternHanDynastydiscoveredinatombattheFangmatansiteinTianshui,GansuProvincein1986istheearliestpaperintheworlddiscoveredsofar.PapermakingCaiLunoftheeasternHanDynastyrenovatedthepreviousimmaturepapermakingtechniquesandbroadenedthechoiceofrawmaterials,givingaboosttothedevelopmentofpapermaking.FourGreatInventionsPapermakingFourGreatInventionsAsthepapermakingtechniquewasspreadtoWestandEastAsiaaswellasotherpartsoftheworldviatheSilkRoad,thepopularizationofknowledgeamongordinarypeoplewasrealizedandthereforegreatlyboostedthedevelopmentofglobaltechnologyandeconomy.TheinventionandspreadingofChina’spapermakingandprintingalsoinawayservedasacatalystfortheRenaissanceandreligiousreformsinEurope.PapermakingFourGreatInventionsHempwrappingpaper,China,circa100BCPapermakingFourGreatInventionsPrintinghasalonghistoryandfar-reachingimpact.Withadevelopmentprocessofover5,000years,printingisakeycomponentofChinesecivilization.PrintingFourGreatInventionsInspiredbyengravednameseals,Chinesepeopleinventedfixed-typeengravedprintingaround600A.D.TheskillplayedanimportantroleintheSongDynastybutitsshortcomingswereapparent.Itwastime-consumingtoengraveamodel,noteasytostore,andnoteasytoreviseerrors.PrintingFourGreatInventionsDuringthereignofEmperorRenZongoftheNorthernSongDynasty,BiShenginventedmoveable,reusableclaytypeafternumeroustests.Singletypesweremadeandpickedoutforprintingcertainbooks.Thesetypescouldbeusedagainandagainfordifferentbooks.PrintingFourGreatInventionsToday,thistypesettingtechniqueisregardedasarevolutionintheindustry.About200yearslater,thismoveable-typetechniquespreadtoothercountriesandadvancedthedevelopmentofworldcivilization.PrintingFourGreatInventionsTheintricatefrontispieceoftheDiamondSutrafromTangDynastyChina,AD868(BritishMuseum)PrintingFourGreatInventionsPrintingFourGreatInventionsGunpowderwasdiscoveredinthe9thcenturybyChinesealchemistssearchingforanelixirofimmortality.BythetimetheSongDynastytreatise,WujingZongyaowaswrittenbyZengGongliangandYangWeideinAD1044,thevariousChineseformulasforgunpowderheldlevelsofnitrateintherangeof27%to50%.GunpowderFourGreatInventionsBytheendofthe12thcentury,Chineseformulasofgunpowderhadalevelofnitratecapableofburstingthroughcastironmetalcontainers,intheformoftheearliesthollow,gunpowder-filledgrenadebombs.GunpowderFourGreatInventionsInAD1280,thebombstoreofthelargegunpowderarsenalatWeiyangaccidentallycaughtfire.GunpowderFourGreatInventionsHandgunfromtheYuandynasty,circa1300s.EarlyChineserocketGunpowderFourGreatInventionsChineseMingDynasty(1368-1644)matchlockfirearmsGunpowderFourGreatInventionsFormostofChinesehistory,thecompassthatremainedinusewasintheformofamagneticneedlefloatinginabowlofwater.ThecompasswaswidelyusedinAncientChinafornavigationalpurposes.DiagramofaMingDynastymariner'scompassCompassFourGreatInventionsTheChinesefoundoutthatnaturalmagnetsareabundant,andthatbymakingmagnets,theywereabletoalignthepiecesinaNorth/Southposition.Themagnetswerethenplacedinabowlofwaterwithdirectionalbearings.CompassFourGreatInventionsModelofaHanDynasty(206BC–220AD)south-indicatingladleorsinan.Itistheorizedthatthesouth-pointingspoonsoftheHandynastyweremagnetizedlodestonesCompassFourGreatInventionsThecompassinrealsensewascreatedbyaChinesegeomanticomenmasterinlateTangDynasty,whooriginallyuseditfordivination.Themajormaterialofthecompassismagnetizedsteelneedle,makingupfortheflawthatmagnetismiseasilylostinlodestones,ofwhichSi’nanwasmade.CompassFourGreatInventionsCompassFourGreatInventionsThecompassbodywasfirstmadesimple,thencomplicatedandfinallysimpleenoughforapplicationinnavigation.Withthehelpofit,humanbeingsfinallymadetheirfirststrideinconqueringthesea,whilethecompassitselfwasbroughttoallovertheworldalongwiththeseawaves,significantlydrivingthedevelopmentofnavigationinbothChinaandtheworld.CompassFourGreatInventionsSummaryFourGreatInventionsSummaryFourGreatInventionsTheFourGreatInventionsofancientChinaareveryimportantforbothChinaandtheworld,fortheyarethesignsofancientChina'sadvancedscienceandtechnologyandtheyarecontributionstotheworldthathadtremendouseffectsonhumancivilizationanddevelopment.SummaryFourGreatInventions://://://wenku.baidu.com/view/e87a123deefdc8d376ee3262.html