Top 10 Inventions of Ancient China

Many modern advancements are so ingrained in our lives that we often overlook their origins. For instance, fiber optic cables transmit vast amounts of data at nearly the speed of light, and we can simply tell our GPS system our destination to receive step-by-step directions from a synthetic voice.

As time passes, it's easy to forget the remarkable contributions of those who came before us. Few civilizations have impacted human progress as much as the Chinese. Here are 10 of the most important Chinese inventions, presented in no particular order.

10. Gunpowder

Let’s kick off with one of the most renowned inventions from ancient China. According to legend, gunpowder was discovered by alchemists searching for an elixir of immortality. Ironically, they stumbled upon a creation that could easily bring about death instead of eternal life.

The first version of gunpowder consisted of a blend of potassium nitrate (saltpeter), charcoal, and sulfur, and was first documented in 1044 in the 'Collection of the Most Important Military Techniques,' compiled by Zeng Goliang [source: Chinese Embassy in South Africa].

It is widely believed that gunpowder was discovered even earlier than this, as Zeng Goliang described three different mixtures of the substance. Initially, the Chinese used gunpowder for signal flares and fireworks before it was adapted for military applications, such as basic grenades.

9. The Compass

Where would we be without the compass? Probably lost. Whether you're a hiker in the woods or a pilot navigating the skies, we owe the Chinese for helping us find our way back home safely.

The first compasses created by the Chinese were designed to point south rather than north, as they considered south their primary direction [source: Wright]. These early compasses, made of lodestone, appeared around the fourth century B.C.E.

The existence of lodestone, a form of magnetite, is a lucky occurrence. It becomes magnetized when struck by lightning, giving it its magnetic properties [source: Wasilewski].

The result is a mineral magnetized toward both the north and south poles. While the exact individual who first used lodestone for direction is unclear, archaeological findings suggest the Chinese crafted ladles that balanced on a divining board, which pointed towards inner harmony for ancient Chinese soothsayers.

8. Paper

It’s unclear who first conceived the idea of turning thoughts into written language. Civilizations like the Sumerians in Mesopotamia, the Harappa in present-day Pakistan, and the Egyptians were all racing to be the first to develop a written script.

We do know that written languages began to emerge around 5,000 years ago. Some even argue that it dates back even earlier, considering artistic expressions like cave paintings as the first forms of written communication.

As language developed, humans began writing on any surface that could hold still long enough. Among the earliest materials used were clay tablets, bamboo, papyrus, and stone.

The game changed when Chinese inventor Cai Lun developed the first prototype for modern paper. Prior to his innovation, the Chinese wrote on thin bamboo strips and lengths of silk. In 105 C.E., he created a mixture of wood fibers and water, pressing it onto a woven cloth.

The cloth's weave allowed the moisture from the pulpy mixture to drain away, creating a rough form of paper [source: Robert C. Williams Museum of Papermaking]. It remains unknown what Cai wrote on his first sheet of paper.

During the Tang Dynasty (618-907 C.E.), the Chinese applied their paper-making expertise to create the first paper money [source: Guinness World Records].

7. Noodles

If you’re a fan of pasta e fagioli or linguine with clams, you might want to give a nod to the ancient Chinese for inventing pasta noodles — not the Italians, as you might have thought.

The debate is still ongoing, but it seems that the Chinese may have beaten the Italians or Arabs (it’s unclear which) by approximately 2,000 years. In 2006, archaeologists at Lajia, a 4,000-year-old settlement near the Tibetan border in Qinghai Province, unearthed a bowl of stringy noodles buried under ten feet of earth [source: Roach].

The newly found pasta might be the world’s oldest. It’s made from two varieties of millet grain, both of which have been grown in China for centuries.

6. Wheelbarrow

The Chinese are credited with lightening the load of people across time and space with the wheelbarrow. A general named Zhuge Liang, from the Han Dynasty, is often credited with inventing a one-wheeled cart to carry heavy loads in the second century [source: Krebs and Krebs].

Zhuge’s original design wasn’t quite complete; he didn’t incorporate the handles (the barrow) that would come later as the invention evolved. However, he still managed to outpace Europeans by about a millennium with his creation.

Initially, the wheelbarrow was developed for military use. Recognizing its tactical advantages, such as serving as a mobile barricade and aiding transportation, the Chinese kept their invention a closely guarded secret for centuries.

An ancient folktale also attributes the invention of the wheelbarrow to a farmer named Ko Yu, who lived in the first century B.C.E. [source: Leinhard]. While the authenticity of his existence is debated, there is a striking similarity between Ko and Zhuge Liang: like the general, Ko is said to have kept the wheelbarrow’s design a secret, encoding it in mysterious terms.

5. Seismograph

While the Chinese couldn’t measure the magnitude of an earthquake on the Richter scale (which wouldn’t be developed until 1935), they did create the world’s first earthquake detector — the seismograph.

Not only did imperial astronomer Zhang Heng invent the seismograph during the early second century of the Han Dynasty, but he also designed one of exceptional beauty.

Zhang Heng’s seismograph was a large bronze vessel adorned with nine dragons, each positioned to face downward. These dragons were placed at equal intervals along the vessel’s surface, and beneath each dragon, a frog was sculpted with its mouth wide open, gazing upward.

Inside the vessel, a pendulum hung still, undisturbed until an earthquake triggered its movement. When the tremor was detected, the pendulum swung, activating internal levers that released a ball from the mouth of the dragon aligned with the earthquake’s epicenter. The ball then fell into the frog’s mouth below it [source: Xinhua News Agency].

4. Alcohol

The Chinese are responsible for the discovery of ethanol and isopropyl alcohol, along with the development of beer, wine, and liquor.

Pottery shards found in Zhejiang province, dating back 9,000 years, reveal evidence of rice beer production. This discovery predates the earliest written records of alcohol production by a staggering 8,000 years [source: Wang].

3. Kites

In the fourth century B.C.E., the inventor Lu Ban and the philosopher Mozi crafted bird-shaped kites that fluttered and swooped in the wind. Their innovative creation quickly gained popularity.

As time passed, the Chinese further refined the design of kites and began to explore their practical applications. One notable use was fishing—fishermen would attach a line and hook to the kite and drop it into bodies of water that were otherwise unreachable.

Kites played a crucial role in military strategies, acting as early drones that delivered gunpowder payloads to enemy strongholds. In 1232, the Chinese used kites to drop propaganda leaflets over a Mongolian prisoner-of-war camp, urging captured Chinese prisoners to rise up and eventually defeat their captors [source: Brara].

The fascination with flight soon combined with the technology of kites, leading to another Chinese innovation: the hang glider.

2. Hang Gliders

As previously mentioned, kites were invented by the fourth century B.C.E. By the end of the sixth century C.E., the Chinese had developed kites large and aerodynamic enough to carry the weight of an average person. It didn’t take long before someone decided to detach the kite strings and see what would happen next.

The Chinese were experimenting with free-flying kites, a precursor to the modern-day hang glider. These early 'kites' were not intended for fun, though: Emperors took pleasure in making prisoners and captured enemies leap from cliffs while harnessed into these gliders. One unfortunate man managed to glide for two miles before safely touching down [source: Wright].

1. Silk

The Mongols, Byzantines, Greeks, and Romans were all forced to confront Chinese military advancements such as gunpowder. Yet, it was silk that ultimately played a key role in establishing peaceful relations between China and these other civilizations.

The desire for silk was so great that it facilitated China's connections to the outside world through trade. This precious fabric became the cornerstone of the legendary Silk Road, which stretched all the way from China to the Mediterranean, Africa, the Middle East, and Europe [source: Columbia University].

The technique for processing silk, derived from silkworms, has been practiced for over 5,000 years. In 2019, Chinese archaeologists uncovered silk fabric within an urn at the Yangshao ruins in central China, confirming its ancient use [source: China National Silk Museum].

The Chinese closely safeguarded the secret of silk's origins, only losing control when European monks obtained silkworm eggs and transported them back to the West [source: Columbia University].