Ancient Chinese Inventions
By Tate Coleman
The ancient Chinese were one of the most active
countries making inventions. They invented
matches, the umbrella, the kite, lacquer, porcelain,
the toothbrush, the fishing reel, and a lot more.
Porcelain
In ancient china, pottery was very common. More
common than it is today, in fact. A rare and valuable
kind is porcelain, made from white clay called kaolin,
and powdered “china stone”. It is a rock, and it contains
the mineral feldspar. When this clay is fired at very high
temperatures, it is now porcelain. Porcelain is
translucent, and it is harder and stronger than other clay.
Early porcelain was made around 618-907 CE. The
method for making porcelain was kept a secret because
objects made of porcelain were very valuable.
Silk
Silk was very valuable in ancient China.
They traded precious metals and other
valuables for silk. They even named a
series of roads “The Silk Road”. The value
of silk back then was approximately a
couple hundred dollars an ounce. The Silk
Road was a trading route for merchants.
They mostly trade silk, but they do trade
other valuables.
Fire Sticks
The Chinese invented the first matches,
made of thin sticks of pine. There was
sulfur on the tips, and it ignited quickly
when touched to a flame. The ancient
Chinese called them “fire sticks”. They
were useful for transferring a flame from
one place to another.
Umbrellas
Umbrellas were very different in ancient China than they
are now. The tops were made of thick, oiled paper,
which kept water out. But unlike today, the earlier
versions of the umbrella didn’t close easily.
Chew Sticks
The ancient Chinese cleaned their teeth with a
“chew stick”. A chew stick is a thin twig with
some hairs from a hog’s neck. Eew, right? They
didn’t even have toothpaste! The first
toothbrush that had real bristles was invented in
the 15th century. They had handles with either
bone or bamboo in ancient China. They aren’t
anything like a toothbrush today, were they?