• 关于我们
    走近神韵
    神韵九大特点
    我们的故事
    我们面临的挑战
    中国古典舞
    神韵交响乐团
  • 艺术家
  • 视频
  • 最新消息
    最新消息
    新闻
    博客
  • 五千文明
    神韵舞蹈
    神韵音乐
    神韵声乐
    神韵服饰
    神韵天幕
    神韵道具
    神韵舞剧
    神韵与中国传统文化
  • 常见问题
  • 观众反馈
  • 新闻通讯 支持 工作机会 搜索
    中文简体
  • English
  • 中文正體
  • 日本語
  • 한국어
  • Česky
  • Deutsch
  • Español
  • Français
  • Indonesia
  • Italiano
  • Nederlands
  • Polski
  • Português
  • Pусский
  • Română
  • Svenska
  • Việt
  • עברית
  • 订票信息
    选单
    Shen Yun Logo
    订票
    最新消息
    选单
    • 关于我们
      • 走近神韵 神韵九大特点 我们的故事 我们面临的挑战 中国古典舞 神韵交响乐团
    • 艺术家
    • 视频
    • 最新消息
      • 最新消息 新闻 博客
    • 五千文明
      • 神韵舞蹈 神韵音乐 神韵声乐 神韵服饰 神韵天幕 神韵道具 神韵舞剧 神韵与中国传统文化
    • 常见问题
    • 观众反馈
    • 神韵购物
      • 神韵作品
      • 艺术家时装
      • 神韵商品
    Shen Yun 9 Characteristics Link Image

    神韵的高超之处?

    9大特点
    • 工作机会
    • 支持
    • 订阅
    • 搜索
    语言
    • English
    • 中文正體
    • 日本語
    • 한국어
    • Česky
    • Deutsch
    • Español
    • Français
    • Indonesia
    • Italiano
    • Nederlands
    • Polski
    • Português
    • Pусский
    • Română
    • Svenska
    • Việt
    • עברית
      博客
      上一页 博客 > Beyond the Compass: Surprising Ancient Chinese Inventions
    Compass
    The earliest compass-like invention was called a “south-pointing chariot.” The first mention of a magnetic compass dates back to roughly 1040 C.E.—it was a bowl of water floating a south-pointing "fish".

    Beyond the Compass: Surprising Ancient Chinese Inventions

    Once upon a time, “made in China” did not carry the same connotations it sometimes does today. It used to refer to a really awesome, state-of-the-art commodity. Some of these inventions are famous, some may surprise you, and they range from invaluable to simply fun.

    The Invaluable

    Let’s warm up with the famous four great inventions attributed to China. These have played major roles in our development:

    Gunpowder: It was while searching for an elixir to immortality, ironically, that a ninth century Chinese alchemist created gunpowder. In time, the formulas became more and more potent, flammable, and explosive. Long before it was standard in Western weaponry, the powder was used in China to make fireworks, flaming arrows, and grenades.

    Compass: The earliest compass-like invention was called a “south-pointing chariot.” These were not magnetic, but rather gear-driven proto-compasses, and they emerged during the North-South Dynasties (420-589 C.E.). The first mention of a magnetic compass dates back to roughly 1040 C.E.—it was a bowl of water floating a south-pointing "fish". The magnetic needle compasses that followed were suspended "turtles" whose heads always pointed south. And indeed today, the Chinese term for compass (zhi nan zhen) means “south pointing needle.”

    Paper: The earliest pulp paper was made sometime in the second century, during China’s Han Dynasty. Craftsmen pounded and dried mulberry bark, hemp, cloth rags, and worn fishnets for a much cheaper and convenient writing medium than the earlier bamboo, silk, and clay tablets.

    Printing: Although the invention of printing press is often attributed to the fifteenth century German Johannes Gutenberg, long before he was born the Chinese already had a lively print industry. They created both woodblock printing and movable type. Amazingly, by the Song Dynasty (960-1279 C.E.), even common folk could buy inexpensive books. Early publications included Confucian classics, Buddhist scriptures, math books, and dictionaries. You can learn more about this topic from this insightful article.

    The Useful

    Moving on to some everyday items, here are a few first developed in the Middle Kingdom:

    Toothbrush: Oral hygienists of the Tang Dynasty (619-907 C.E.) invented the modern toothbrush. They attached stiff bristles from Siberian hogs to bones or bamboo. In the seventeenth century, European travelers brought the idea home, and they switched to horsehair for a softer feel.

    Paper money: During the prosperous Tang Dynasty, merchants began finding the sheer weight of coins a great inconvenience to travel along endless trade routes. In the Song Dynasty that followed, the government also suffered from a shortage of copper for minting coin. These developments led to the use of promissory notes and, soon after, government-issued banknotes.

    Forensic entomology (investigating crime with insects—not so common but still pretty useful): In the thirteenth century, a Chinese forensic expert was presented with a homicide case involving a sickle as the suspected murder weapon. In a village where every household owned a sickle for harvesting rice, how was he to find the culprit? He ordered every villager to hold his sickle over a swarm of flies. In no time, the buzzy critters identified the only recently bloodied blade.

    Other useful items first made in the Middle Kingdom: seismometer, matches, stirrups, and chopsticks, as well as paper cups, napkins, envelopes, and, yes, toilet paper.

    The Fun

    Ancient Chinese weren’t all work and no play. They used their ingenuity to create for pleasure and diversion, too:

    Nail polish: Prehistoric manicures? Indeed, nail polish dates to 3,000 B.C.E. Around 600 B.C.E, royal Chinese women preferred gold and silver polish. In time, black and red shades became the favorites. But if you were not born into luxury, you were out of luck—commoners were forbidden to paint their nails. And what was this ancient polish made of? Egg whites, beeswax, gelatin, dye, and tree gum mix.

    Goldfish: This little household pet’s genealogy traces back to ancient China. Some people observed natural color mutations in carps, and so they (the people) began to breed carp for their hues. Anyone could keep reds and oranges, but yellows (the emperor's color) were reserved for the imperial court. In time, more lavish varieties were bred with fancier shapes.

    Other fanciful firsts of the Middle Kingdom: playing cards, fireworks, dominoes, fishing reels, and kites.

    What's Your Favorite?

    Goldfish are nice, but what really tops my list took many millennia to refine— classical Chinese dance! What's your favorite Middle Kingdom invention?

    Betty Thumb

    Betty Wang

    Dancer

    显示所有文章

    2015年5月12日

    评论
    verification

    上一页

    Ancient Lifehack: Haute Coiffure—Fashion Dos & Don’ts

    下一页

    The Boomerang Hanky Walkover
    最近
    • 咏貂蝉
      Diaochan 650x400ratio 貂蟬 彩色
    • 春日的传统活动
      Spring Tree
    • 被遗忘的冬至节——传统文化趣谈
      Pexels Michiel Skiing 650x400
    • 做一个旅途中的好父亲
      Header Leeshaiblog Daddyontheroad
    • 少数民族衣冠漫谈
      Accessories Header 650x400
    最多点击
    • 全部
    • 新闻
    • 博客
  • 1 神韵2023年演季已「加速」到来
  • 2 汉宫的明珠——王昭君
  • 3 神韵艺术品全球首家实体店:Shen Yun Collections介绍
  • 4 舞蹈演员孙天祺「快问快答」
  • 5 艺术家聚焦——朱颖姝
  • 6 领舞演员小林健司「快问快答」
  • 7 舞蹈演员茉莉「快问快答」
  • 8 来自旅途的照片:2023年巡演拉开序幕!
  • 9 咏貂蝉
  • 显示更多
  • 1 神韵2023年演季已「加速」到来
  • 2 神韵艺术品全球首家实体店:Shen Yun Collections介绍
  • 3 舞蹈演员孙天祺「快问快答」
  • 4 艺术家聚焦——朱颖姝
  • 5 领舞演员小林健司「快问快答」
  • 6 舞蹈演员茉莉「快问快答」
  • 7 来自旅途的照片:2023年巡演拉开序幕!
  • 显示更多
  • 1 咏貂蝉
  • 显示更多

    标签

    • 中国传统文化
    • Historical Anecdotes
    • The Ancient Scholar
    • Ancient History
    • Dynasties
    Shen Yun logo golden
    Shen Yun logo golden

    神韵艺术团是全球顶级中国古典舞与传统音乐艺术团。神韵艺术团成立于纽约,通过中国古典舞、民族民间舞、舞剧、交响乐伴奏、乐器独奏和美声独唱,复兴与弘扬中国五千年正统神传文化。

    关于神韵
  • 走近神韵
  • 神韵交响乐团
  • 我们面临的挑战
  • 藝術與靈性的啟迪
  • 艺术家
  • 观赏礼仪
  • 工作机会
  • 视频
  • 最新和特写
  • 关于我们
  • 艺术家
  • 观众反馈
  • 新闻和博客
  • 最新消息
  • 推荐置顶
  • 新闻
  • 博客
  • 观众反馈
  • 探索更多
  • 神韵舞蹈
  • 神韵音乐
  • 神韵声乐
  • 神韵服饰
  • 神韵天幕
  • 神韵道具
  • 神韵舞剧
  • 神韵与中国传统文化
  • 与神韵互动:
    请留言以作纪念
    神韵作品
    神韵的线上影音平台
    艺术考级中心
    神韵艺术品
    艺术家时装
    神韵艺术团官方网站 ©2023 神韵艺术团,版权所有。
    联系我们 使用条款 隐私政策 网站地图