Four Great Inventions

The Four Great Inventions of ancient China were the compass, paper-making, printing, and gunpowder. These were hallmark achievements of ancient Chinese civilization that had a profound impact on the progress of human civilization.

The compass is an instrument used to determine direction. As early as the Warring States period (475-221 B.C.), the Chinese invented the "Si Nan" spoon compass, based on a natural magnet's ability to point to the north and the south. This was the world's earliest form of compass. In the Song Dynasty (960-1279), people made compasses with artificially magnetized iron needles, which were widely used in naviga- tion. Between the late 12th century and the early 13th century, the compass was introduced to the Arab world and Europe, enabling European navigators to explore new routes.

Paper is closely related to daily life. Before its invention, the Chinese used shells, animal bones, bamboo and wooden slips, silk, and other materials for writing. Papermaking was invented in the early the Western Han Dynasty (206 B.C. - A.D. 25). Unearthed in 1986, a fragment of a paper map dating back to the time of Emperor Wendi of the Western Han Dynasty is the earliest known piece of paper. During the Eastern Han Dynasty (A.D. 25-220), Cai Lun improved the papermaking process. Between the 3rd and the 4th century, paper became the most important writing material in China. From the late 4th century, the art of papermaking spread to Korea and Japan, and later to Europe through the Arab world, especially Egypt. Papermaking was a milestone in the development of writing materials, which effectively facilitated the preservation and dissemination of culture. 

Ancient Chinese printing technology underwent two stages: woodblock printing and movable type printing. Woodblock printing, invented in the Tang Dynasty (618-907), was a process of printing texts and images with ink by first carving them onto wooden blocks. This technique had its roots in seal engraving and rubbing copies of inscriptions on stone tablets. During the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127), Bi Sheng invented movable typeset printing. His method used movable clay type pieces, which reduced costs and increased efficiency. This invention appeared 400 years earlier than Johannes Gutenberg's movable metal typeset printing in Germany. During the Song and Yuan dynasties (960-1368), China developed multi-color printing. Ancient China's printing technology spread eastward to Korea and Japan and westward via the Arab world to Africa and Europe, paving the way for the development of science and the Renaissance in Europe.

Gunpowder, a black or brown explosive substance derived from alchemy, was invented in the Sui and Tang dynasties (581-907). There are records of gunpowder production from the middle of the Tang Dynasty. By the end of the Tang Dynasty, gunpowder was being used for military purposes, leading to the development of new weapons such as cannons and rockets.

By the time of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), firearms were commonly used in battles. Gunpowder spread to Arab countries via India and then to Europe and other parts of the world. Firearms gradually replaced cold weapons and had a revolutionary impact on war tactics and fortification construction, and many other aspects of technological and social development, accelerating the progress of human civilization.

四大發(fā)明

中國古代四大發(fā)明，即指南針、造紙術(shù)、印刷術(shù)、火藥。四大發(fā)明是中國古代文明的標志性成就，對人類文明進程產(chǎn)生了深遠影響。

指南針是用以判別方位的一種儀器。早在戰(zhàn)國時期，中國人根據(jù)天然磁石指示南北的特性制成了“司南”，這是世界上最早的指南儀器。兩宋時期，人們發(fā)明了用人工磁化鐵針制成指南針的方法，并廣泛應(yīng)用于航海。12世紀末至13 世紀初，指南針傳入阿拉伯和歐洲，為歐洲航海家探索新航路提供了重要條件。

紙與人類日常生活息息相關(guān)。在紙發(fā)明之前，中國人曾把貝殼、獸骨、竹片、木片、絲綢等作為記錄文字的載體。西漢初年，中國人發(fā)明了造紙術(shù)。1986年出土的西漢文帝時期的紙質(zhì)地圖殘片，是迄今發(fā)現(xiàn)的人類社會最早的紙。東漢時期，蔡倫改進了造紙術(shù)。3至4世紀，紙成為中國最主要的書寫材料。從4世紀末開始，造紙術(shù)逐漸傳往朝鮮、日本，后經(jīng)阿拉伯、埃及傳入歐洲。造紙術(shù)是人類書寫材料的偉大革命，有力促進了文化的保存和傳播。

中國古代印刷術(shù)分為雕版印刷和活字印刷兩個階段。唐代發(fā)明的雕版印刷術(shù)，是把圖文刻在木板上用水墨印刷， 其前身是印章捺印和拓印碑石等。北宋時期，畢昇發(fā)明的活字印刷術(shù)，主要使用膠泥活字降低印刷成本同時提高效率， 這比德國谷騰堡（1398—1468）的鉛活字印刷術(shù)早約400 年。宋元時期，中國出現(xiàn)了套色印刷技術(shù)。印刷術(shù)發(fā)明后， 向東傳到朝鮮、日本，向西經(jīng)由阿拉伯傳播到非洲和歐洲， 為歐洲科學(xué)發(fā)展和文藝復(fù)興運動提供了重要物質(zhì)條件。

火藥起源于煉丹術(shù)，是隋唐時期煉丹家發(fā)明的一種黑色或棕色的炸藥。唐代中期已經(jīng)有關(guān)于火藥制作的記載。唐代末年，火藥開始被運用于軍事，出現(xiàn)了火炮、火箭等新式武器；到了宋朝，火器普遍用于軍事戰(zhàn)斗。火藥經(jīng)印度傳入阿拉伯國家，再傳到歐洲乃至世界各地。火藥兵器逐步取代了冷兵器，在戰(zhàn)爭戰(zhàn)術(shù)、攻城筑城等技術(shù)發(fā)展和社會進步方面產(chǎn)生了革命性影響，推動了世界歷史發(fā)展的進程。