Well, check out this post to discover 10
Chinese inventions we bet you never thought
You may know that lots of inventions that
have changed the world were created during the Chinese dynasties. Paper, gunpowder and
even the printing block are 2 of the 四大发明 sì the 4 great Chinese inventions. But the Chinese didn’t stop at these amazing inventions! They also created a lot more things
without which your life wouldn’t be the same and you probably don’t even know it! So we put together for you a list of 10 surprising Chinese inventions you didn’t know were Chinese, ranked from the least to the most surprising.
Ready to see what was invented in China?
Prepare to be amazed!
#1 The most fascinating of all the Chinese inventions: the Compass
The first item on our list of ancient Chinese
inventions is the compass. It’s one of the
四大发明
sì the 4 great Chinese inventions, but people
tend to forget about it.
Long before European navigators roamed the
seas, the Chinese invented the compass How
was this navigational instrument invented? The
compass was created around the Qin Dynasty
era (255 BC – 206 BC), but not for the reasons
you’d expect. Long before it was used for
navigation, the compass was actually used by
fortune tellers on their boards to make
predictions. Interesting use of the compass,
don’t you think? The first compasses were
made of
a spoon-shaped lodestone, a natural
magnetic stone that naturally indicates the
South. Later on, the Chinese improved on their
first compass to create the magnetic needle
compass during the 8th century AD, used on
water.
The next Chinese invention on our list has
changed the world forever and still very much
used nowadays. In fact, it’s essential to buy
new things. Can you guess what it is?
#2 Paper money, the
Chinese creation that
changed the world
Paper money! The first banknotes were
introduced under the Tang dynasty (618 – 907).
The invention of paper money stems from the
invention of the printing block, which made
possible the printing of many banknotes. At
that time, carrying coins began to be too
heavy and merchants thus decided to create
banknotes as a means of currency instead. The
banknotes were meant to record how much
money the people had in their pockets. Smart,
isn’t it?
Nowadays, we use paper money for
everything almost everywhere around the
world. Even though credit card use now tends
to surpass the use of paper money, banknotes
are still rocking! Let’s jump to the third Chinese
creation that is going to leave you voiceless!
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#3 The smart Chinese
invention: the
mechanical clock
What time is it? This is maybe one of most
frequently asked questions each day! Your
wristwatch — or your cellphone — is certainly
one of your best friends when it comes to
telling time. This wouldn’t be possible without
the invention of the first mechanical clock by
the Chinese. Under the Song dynasty (916 –
1279), 苏颂 Su Song, a well-known official, built
a
huge clock tower that could tell the time of
the day, the day of the month, the phase of
the moon and the position of a few stars and
planets. Amazing, don’t you think?! How did he
do that? Well, he added a chain-driven
mechanism to a water-powered clock, and
magic happened!
Let’s explore a little bit further the mechanical
skills of the Chinese. The next Chinese
invention will most likely make you go “wow”,
plus it’s all about dragons.
#4 The earthquake
detector: the most
brilliant Chinese
invention
In China, earthquakes are very frequent.
When you’re not prepared for them, they can
cause severe damage. Under the Han dynasty
(206 BC – 220 AD), some Chinese scientists
decided to experiment with ways to predict
earthquakes. Under the Han dynasty (206 BC –
220 AD), 張衡 Zhang Heng, a famous Chinese
inventor and scientist, invented the first
seismograph that could detect the movement
of an earthquake. Besides being a clever
Chinese invention,
the earthquake detector is
also super cool-looking. It’s a huge urn adorned
with 8 dragons, each holding a copper a ball.
These 8 dragons represented 8 directions: east,
south, west, north, southeast, northeast,
southwest, and northwest. These dragons
faced 8 frogs on a plate below the urn. Each
time a seism was about to happen, the dragon
that was in the direction of the earthquake
would spit its copper ball inside the frog’s
mouth. Dragons spitting copper balls? I told
you it was a cool invention!
OK, now you know that the Chinese were
pretty good at creating mechanical engines.
But let’s explore the sports in China! Everyone
knows China’s popular sport: ping pong, but
did you know they invented another popular
sport?
#5 The Chinese
invention you’d never
guessed was Chinese:
Football
Were you dying to know why earlier I said
that soccer was not invented in England, but in
China? Under the Han dynasty (206 BC – 220
AD), people started to play a game called
Cuju. It consisted of two teams kicking a ball
around to score goals. Using hands was
forbidden. Sounds familiar? The main
difference was that the number of players
was flexible and teams were both composed
of men and women.
As for England, they did not invent the football
game but they brought a lot to modern soccer.
According to the FIFA England organized the
contemporary games in 1863.
Technology, sports… Chinese inventions
certainly are everywhere! What about in your
personal daily life? Do you think ancient
Chinese inventions are at play there? The
answer is yes. Let me tell you about the most
surprising creations the Chinese invented and
how these became essential when eating.
#6 The culinary Chinese
creation you didn’t
suspect: the Restaurant
Menu
Once again the Song dynasty has struck! I’d
bet you didn’t know about this one! During the
Song era, a premodern economic revolution
occurred in China and there was a significant
increase in business and trade with the outside
world. Lots of foreign businessmen and
travelers came to China during that time, but
they did not always speak Chinese. In order to
help them, the first ever menus were created
in
Chinese restaurants.
Speaking of restaurants, its origins in the world
remain shrouded in mystery. Some claim that
France created the first restaurants ever in
Paris, but, before the Mongol invasion even
happened, there were already restaurants in
China. The competition is still on, and I suggest
read this amazing post by Nicholas Kiefer on
the creation of the restaurant to learn more.
Next time you enter a restaurant and are
given a restaurant menu to order food,
remember that the Chinese invented them!
#7 The one you were
wrong about: the Fork
I can feel your surprise from here! We all
know that the Chinese use chopsticks to eat,
but don’t be mistaken, they also invented the
forks! The oldest known
traces of forks were
found in the Qijia ethnic group (2400 BC -1900
BC) but also under the Xia dynasty (2100 BC –
1600 BC). Did you know forks were so old? At
a later period, forks were exported to Europe
thanks to the Silk Road. As for the Chinese, it
is said they chose to replace forks and knives
with chopsticks. Isn’t that unexpected?
Forks were invented by the Chinese, bet you
didn’t see that coming, huh?! Let’s move on to
another product you can (sometimes) find on
your table and that is said to have been
created by the Chinese. Cheers!
#8 The Chinese
invention that will make
you feel dizzy: Alcohol
Yi Di, the wife of a Xia dynasty’s king, 大禹 dà
yǔ Yu the Great (around 2000 BC), is said to
have created the first ever alcohol beverage
and gave it to her husband. It is said to have
tasted like beer. The Shang dynasty (1600 BC –
1066 BC) is also said to have used alcohol
during sacrifices.
There are lots of legends around the creation
of alcohol, but one thing’s sure, it was
definitely made in China! Just like the next
Chinese inventions that are going to make you
rethink your knowledge of China.
#9 The ancestor of your
current toothbrush
Up next on our list of ancient Chinese
inventions you didn’t know about, the
toothbrush! That’s right, during the Tang
dynasty (618 – 907 AD),
the first toothbrush
was invented! It was mostly made of pig hairs
attached to a handle made of bamboo or
bones. Amazing, huh? The modern toothbrush
has evolved quite a lot since then, and no one
uses pig hairs to brush their teeth anymore, at
least I hope not!
The next and last invention coming up is
undoubtedly the one that had me saying “no
way, they invented that too?!”. The Chinese
didn’t use to kid with hygiene! Ready to find
out what the last invention is?
#10 One of the ancient
Chinese inventions you
don’t want to live
without: Toilet paper
Chinese inventions can be very surprising
sometimes! Have you ever thought about how
toilet paper came into existence? Well, it all
started around the year 851, during the Tang
dynasty, when the Chinese
invented toilet
paper. But it’s during the Ming dynasty (1368 –
1644) that the use of toilet paper rose! At the
time, toilet paper was actually made of huge
sheets of soft fabric, which only the Emperors
and their family could use. Then the use of
toilet paper spread to the people and to
Europe via the good old Silk Road!
Final words
Chinese inventions have brought a lot to the
modern world as we know it today. Each
object has a story and China had a role to
play in many of those stories. Who would
have guessed that toilet paper, toothbrushes,
football or mechanical clocks were Chinese
inventions? The well-known Chinese dynasties
have left a lot to the modern era. If you want
to know more about these amazing families,
check out our post and timeline about the
Chinese dynasties.
Which Chinese invention surprised you the
most? Do you know other things the Chinese
have invented?

Source: https://ninchanese.com/blog/2016/06/09/ancient-chinese-inventions/ Fp: Lalasticlala

Nice and informative. I do however think alcohol beverages dates farther than 2000BC but i am probably wrong. I will research on it now then