In Chinese history, there are four great inventions (四大发明, ​sì dà fā míng): the compass (指南针, zhǐ nán zhēn), gunpowder (火药, huǒ yào), paper (造纸术, zào zhǐ shù), and printing technology (活字印刷术, huó zì yìn shuā shù). Since ancient times, there have been dozens of other noteworthy inventions that have improved the quality of life around the world. Here is a collection of some of the most significant to come from China:

Compass

Before the compass was invented, explorers had to look at the sun, moon, and stars for directional guidance. The Chinese were the first to use magnetic rocks to determine north and south. This technique was later incorporated into the design of the compass.

Paper

The first paper was made of hemp, rag, and fishing net. This coarse paper was created in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24), but it was difficult to write on and wasn’t widely used. Cai Lun (蔡伦, cài lún), a eunuch in the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220) court, invented a fine, white paper made of bark, hemp, cloth, and fishing net that could easily be written on.

Abacus

The Chinese abacus (算盘, suàn pán) has seven or more rods and two parts. There are two beads on the top part and five beads on the bottom for decimals. Users can add, subtract, multiply, divide, and find square roots and cube roots with the Chinese abacus.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture (针灸, zhēn jiǔ), a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine in which needles are placed along the meridians of the body that control the flow of qi, was first mentioned in the ancient Chinese medical text Huangdi Neijing (黄帝内经, huáng dì nèi jīng) which was compiled during the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The oldest acupuncture needles were made of gold and found in Liu Sheng’s (刘胜, liú shèng) tomb. Liu was a prince in the Western Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 24).

Chopsticks

Emperor Xin (帝辛), also called King Zhou (纣王), made ivory chopsticks (筷子, kuài zi) during the Shang Dynasty (c.16th century-11th century BC). Bamboo, metal and other forms of chopsticks later evolved into the eating utensils used today.

Kites

Lu Ban (鲁班), an engineer, philosopher, and artisan, created a wooden bird in the fifth century BC which served as the first kite (风筝, fēng zheng). Kites were first used as rescue signals when Nanjing was attacked by General Hou Jing. Kites were also flown for fun starting in the Northern Wei Dynasty (386-534).

Mahjong

The modern version of the tile game known as mahjong (麻将, má jiàng) is often attributed to Qing Dynasty (479-502) diplomatic official Zhen Yumen, though its origins stretch back to an ancient card game from the Tang Dynasty (618-907).

Seismograph

Though the modern seismograph (地动仪, dì dòng yí) was invented in the mid-nineteenth century, Zhang Heng (张衡, zhāng héng), an official, astronomer, and mathematician of the Eastern Han Dynasty (25-220), invented the first tool to measure earthquakes in 132 AD.

Tofu and soymilk

Many scholars attribute tofu’s invention to Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) King Liu An (刘安), who prepared tofu (豆腐, dòu fu) in essentially the same way it is prepared today. Soymilk (豆浆, dòu jiāng) is also a Chinese invention.

Tea

The tea plant comes from Yunnan, where its tea was first used for medicinal purposes. Chinese tea culture (茶文化, chá wén huà) began later, in the Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220).

Gunpowder

The Chinese first used gunpowder to make explosives used by the military in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (五代十国, wǔ dài shí guó) (907-960). The Chinese invented cannons and landmines made of cast iron, as well as rockets, that utilized gunpowder, which was also used to make bamboo fireworks in the Song Dynasty (420-479).

Moveable type

Moveable type (活字印刷术, huó zì yìn shuā shù) was invented by Bi Sheng (毕昇, bì shēng), a craftsman who worked in a book factory in Hangzhou in the eleventh century. Characters were carved onto reusable clay blocks which were fired and then arranged in a metal holder brushed with ink. This invention contributed greatly to the history of printing.

Horticulture

Horticulture (园艺, yuán yì) has a long history in China. To improve the shape, color, and quality of plants, grafting (嫁接, jià jiē) was used in the sixth century. Greenhouses (温室, wēn shì) were also used to cultivate vegetables.

Source: Thoughtco.com