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Papermaking
The ancient Chinese were responsible for the earliest discovery of
papermaking. The oldest piece of paper found in China dates from the first century
B.C. Made from plant fibers, the paper was thick and rough. This type of paper was
useless for writing.
Around A.D. 100 paper the Chinese figured out how
to make paper of better quality. After soaking the plant in
water, they were mixed with a salt like mineral and
mashed into a pulp. A frame with a fine bamboo mesh
was lowered into this pulp. The frame was then removed,
together with a thin sheet of pulp. The extra water was
removed, and hung to dry.
Before this point books were made of bamboo or wood. This caused the books
to be heavy. After the art of papermaking was perfected, scholars were willing to
purchase books as they were lighter to carry.
Originally the Chinese kept their production a secret. They set up their own
papermaking facilities throughout China. It took 500 years before the art of
papermaking spread west. The Arab world, especially Syria and Iraq, began to make
paper in bulk and ship it to Europe, since Europe was still using papyrus as paper. The
Europeans did not take part in papermaking the Chinese discovered until the twelfth
century.
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Acupuncture
For more than 2,500 years, Chinese physicians have used
acupuncture to ease patients’ suffering. Traditional Chinese
doctors believe that pain and illness are sometimes due to an
imbalance of natural energy flow through the body. Good
health and balanced energy can be restored through an
insertion of needles at the proper points. They also believed that
different areas of the body can alleviate (improve) pain from
specific areas.
The Chinese say that acupuncture began before the Han Dynasty, dating
back examples from the Stone Age. Many Chinese scholars today argue that the
ancient Chinese may have developed the technique after the Stone Age when
stone tools were used to reduce inflammation. Acupuncture becomes popular
during the Han Dynasty because the processes becomes more systematic (has a
method for doing things) and so others can study the technique.
As acupuncture became more popular physicians began to disagree on the
proper placement of needles. The Chinese physicians also began to question when
acupuncture was appropriate for treatment instead of herbal remedies.
Most physicians agreed that herbal remedies should be the first method of
treatment. After they failed, acupuncture may restore the balance of energy in the
body and relieve pain. These early physicians used bronze needles, since the early
Chinese of the
river valley
perfected the
process of making
bronze items. They
placed needles at
certain points for
certain pains.
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Silk Road
From the early river valley times, silk
has been the main material in China for
everyday items. Every girl in China had
to learn the skills to of making items using
a needle and silk. A girl’s intelligence
was determined by her skills. When a girl
became engaged she had to produce
embroidery to family and friends of the
potential groom for judgment. Silk was
also used as currency.
During the Han Dynasty, the emperor decided that trade needed to improve
as the empire was increasing in size. Originally the Chinese only used the trade route
to exchange goods with other Asian areas. Overtime traders from Asia continued
west and discovered new land and products.
This trade route was a network of land and sea routes. A German scholar gave
the 4,6000 mile long trade route the name “Silk Road.” He gave the route this name
because the Chinese silk was very rare and expensive for all those outside of China.
Without this “hot commodity,” the trade routes would not have been as successful
and Europeans would
probably not have
needed to take part.
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Hot Air Balloon
People in China began to fly kites made of silk
and bamboo around 800 B.C. Maybe flying kites
helped give inventors the idea to try to get other things
to fly too. A few years after kites were invented the
Chinese began experiments. These scientists discovered
that hot air rises and wanted to use this discovery to
make things fly
In 200 A.D. an advisor to the one of the Han
Dynasty’s emperors used the discovery to develop the hot air balloon. During a war,
the inventor Zhuge Liang designed a light to confuse the enemy. He put an oil lamp
into a large paper bag. The air inside the bag became hot quickly due to the oil. The
bag rose into the air and frightened the enemy.
As time went on, the Chinese designed better versions of the paper bag. They
created colorful designs similar to modern day balloons. Overtime these balloons
were used less for the military and more for festivals. The Chinese called these
lanterns, not hot air balloons. But they discovered the scientific aspects of making a
balloon-like object fly.
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Civil Service Exam
As the Chinese empire grew many emperors
divided government responsibilities or in other words
formed a bureaucracy. The emperors no longer had
enough acquaintances to fill the many government
positions. They needed an easier way to decide who
was qualified for these positions.
Most government officials were scholars and
attended universities. But with different types of jobs the Chinese government
decided to place people into jobs based on merit. In other words, a person would be
given a job only if they were qualified to perform the responsibilities for that specific
position.
The Chinese created what is now called the civil service exam. Tests were
given to candidates for specific positions to ensure they were qualified. In theory
these examinations were opened for ALL members of China. However, in order to
take the exams you needed to have the free time to study and money in order to
pay for the examination.
In reality, the examinations were still given to people personally recommended
by the emperor or his officials. But this exam did cause candidates to be wellrounded scholars since the tests
included questions on grammar,
literature, politics, cultural morals and
social ethics.
Today civil service exams are
used for positions in America such as
secretaries, postal workers, law
enforcement and MTA employment.