China is one of the oldest countries in the world.
Yet ever since its discovery, the land, its owners, and its people have been one of the top leaders in the world.
It is a reigning economic giant as of recently and is known for its amazing Chinese products, alternatives, and solutions for almost anything and everything.
China has got it all, whether it is Chinese herbals for your regular sniffles and cold or high-tech gadgets and modern-day electronics.
But did you know that many modern-day devices have their origin from ancient China? Many people will be shocked to find out that they are wondrous everyday products that were actually invented in China. Hence, we have compiled a list of some amazing Chinese inventions that are everyday products you never knew were invented in China.
Can you believe that your everyday notebook is a fortunate origination of China? Yes, the first-ever nation to introduce the paper to the world was China. Before the invention of paper, words and languages had already been around, but recording events and scriptures was a whole ordeal. People would write on walls, earthen plates, sheepskin, tree leaves, and even shells of tortoises. However, the Chinese came up with a paper-making process after getting inspired by the process of silk reeling. Soon enough, people started finding easier and cheaper ways of making paper and the invention spread like wildfire.
Naturally, the company that made paper had to develop a way to in-script those papers, too, without involving labor-intensive handwork. Word of mouth, thanks to the appropriation of languages and hand-written scriptures thanks to paper were already common. However, real-life events significantly changed the course of transfer through word of mouth. Additionally, writing manuscripts by hand became a tough and time-consuming task, with people dying before they completed a single scripture. Therefore, China came up with the process of printing, and today, a Buddhist sutra, printed in Tang Dynasty, is marked as the first book in the world with a verifiable date of printing.
Ancient Chinese rulers were educated and knowledgeable men, unlike other leaders of the world who consequently conquered lands for its sake. The influence of alchemy in ancient Chinese culture led to the war leaders inventing gunpowder. In fact, the ancient Chinese necromancers weren’t even sure what they had invented. They found out (which was quite smart) that an explosion could be induced if certain kinds of fuel were mixed in the right proportions with different types of ores and applied at the right temperature. Thus, one practice run after another led to the discovery of gunpowder – an explosive combination of sulfur, charcoal, and saltpeter.
We bet you had no clue that the Chinese were to be credited for this world-changing invention. The compass was definitely a significant gift to the world, which changed the world for the better and as we know it today. It is one of the oldest guide tools that still have a relevant and significant use in our modern-day society. The invention was not a dramatic one but a simple formulation of physics and practice to improve. Ancient Chinese people used mine ores and, while doing so, happened to notice magnetite that attracted iron, resulting in pointing north fixedly. Several practices later, the compass was born.
Archaeological evidence was found in the form of an ancient painting that suggested that acupuncture was indeed a common practice in ancient China. Back in the Paleolithic period, different materials were used to achieve the desired effect, like bamboo, needles carved from bones, and even knives carved from stone. These were indeed made use of not as weapons but as healing instruments against many deadly diseases of that time. However, fast forward to the Huang Di era, which was known as the Yellow Emperor, lasting from 2697–2597 BC, acupuncture was revolutionized and made common practice with safer methods.
China is an incredible country, and there is a lot to learn from the extravagant Chinese history and its offerings. Apart from the Great Wall and China being the great economic giant, the country is full of mysteries, stories, and inventions to uncover and enjoy.