China's history of invention

As workshop to the world, China is a place where ideas from elsewhere are manufactured and shipped on. Innovation is still not a hallmark. Few Chinese brands are known abroad.

But that is likely a blip in history. China has been a hotbed of innovation in the past.

An appendix in a book on my desk, The Man Who Loved China, by Simon Winchester, tells more of the story. It is a list of inventions and discoveries in China over the centuries and the date of their first recorded mention. We all know about paper and gunpowder and the like. But read further for a very partial list:

Acupuncture (580 BC)
Anatomy  (11th Century AD)
Axial rudder  (1st Century AD)
Ball bearings  (2nd Century BC)
Belt drive  (5th Century BC)
Blast Furnace (3rd Century BC)
Calipers  (AD 9)
Camera Obscura, explanation of (AD 1086)
Cast iron  (5th Century BC)
Chain drive (AD 976)
Chess  (4th Century BC)
Compass, magnetic Needle (AD 1088)
Crop rotation  (6th Century BC)
Crossbow  (5th Century BC)
Dating of trees by number of rings  (12th Century AD)
Dominoes  (AD 1120)
Draw loom  (1st Century AD)
Fertilizers  (2nd Century BC)
Firecrackers  (AD 290)
Folding chairs  (3rd Century AD)
Grafting (AD 806)
Gunpowder  (12th Century AD)
Handgun  (AD 1128)
Kite  (4th Century BC)
Lacquer  (13th Century BC)
Maps, relief  (AD 1086)
Negative numbers, operations using  (1st Century AD)
Paper, invention of  (300 BC)
Toilet paper (hallelujah!) (AD 589)
Parachute principle  (8th Century AD)
Playing cards  (AD 969)
Reel on fishing rod  (3rd Century AD)
Rockets, two-stage  (AD 1360)
Rotary fan  (1st Century BC)
Seawalls  (AD 80)
Sterilization by steaming (AD 980)
Stirrup  (AD 300)
Toothbrush  (hallelujah again!)  (9th Century AD)
Vinegar  (2nd Century BC)
Weather vane  (120 BC)

Comments

[Helena Cobban]

But why did he leave out of the list the fractional distillation of spirits (by freezing)-- a momentous invention which is, actually, the only revelation about Chinese inventiveness that i remember from Needham's work?

[ZombieNation]

Sounds like China was innovative & accomplished, while the West still in the stone age & walking on all fours.

[Lindel]

Quit a list. It covers a lot of history and I assume these inventions occured in many locations in "China" over the years. I wonder how many were made by "Han" chinese or my other ethnic groups in China. Today we talk about the Han majority, I wonder sometimes if saying I am a Han is like saying I am a Caucasian. At one time the angles and the saxons were competing tribes, but today being an anglo-saxon has been used to denote a certain racial purity. I do note raise this issue to detract from the many innovations invented in China over the centuries, but do so to bring up two points: 1) is it possible ethnic and religious diversity in past chinese cultures and dynasties may have contributed to this innovation, and 2) I am just curious what being a Han really means, it just seems in the past that there must have been some ethnic variation between the various provinces of Qin, Zhou, Wu and others that seem to have lost their distinctions. After all it could be said that one of the most innovative Chinese persons in recent history was a Hakka man named Deng Xiaoping. IBM has undertaken an interesting study to map humanity's travels around the world by collecting DNA samples from all interested parties. It would be interesting to see the results of a vigorous study in mainland china to learn if China's Han are in fact much more diverse in nature with variations that have been long since forgotten and replaced with a false sense of racial purity and superiority.

Ethnic diversity, religious and intellectual freedom and individual rights seem to be elements that possibly contribute to an innovative society.

China today appears to be creative, but is significantly less diverse and free than in the past, perhaps those factors will limit how innovative China can become especially with a government that only allows freedom to innovate within certain state determined boundaries.

[Tim J]

Helena, I haven't actually read the book yet so didn't know to mention it.

[Junhui]

"Ethnic diversity, religious and intellectual freedom and individual rights seem to be elements that possibly contribute to an innovative society." Your case is weak against the innovativeness during the Middle Ages. Inventions in Europe during the "Dark Ages" lead to the Age of Exploration.

I think the term Caucasian has become a broader term than Han. The term Caucasian is not scientifically creditable. But originally it was meant for people who had ancestors from the Caucasus Mountains, this fact however can be debunked.

The term Han, refers to peoples who can trace their ancestry back to the Huaxia people who lived along the Yellow River. (Which is why Hua, also means Chinese). As groups started to move away from the Yellow River. The Hua(ren) diaspora slowly grew and eventually developed sovereignty over the area (Xia, Shang, Zhou). After fall of Zhou, thats where you get all the minor kingdoms. But they were all from the same tribe. They were scattered until united under Qin.

The "hua" peoples did not start calling themselves HAN until the Han dynasty, which is still widely believed to be the best Chinese dynasty of all time. During this period everyone started to think they were the apart of the same ethnic group rather than seperate (Not Yan, Chu, Qi or Wu, just simply Han).

The interesting part about the smaller kingdoms is that they did not disappear, they were incorporated. The people? They can trace their decedents through their surname. Usually each Kingdom had a majority family (as in a predominate surname).

After the fall of the Han, again we see a split in minor kingdoms, then a reunification (you will see this a lot in Chinese history). It's not until the Tang, (the dynasty which Koreans and Japanese received a majority of their influence from), that we start having some Han's referring themselves as Tang peoples (some people believe that Tang was the best dynasty of all time). But it's all in the same.

If you asked today's people if they were Hua, Han, or Tang, they would tell you its the same thing but most will refer to themselves as Han. Of course, not everyone is FULL Han in the scientific sense, but they still consider themselves pretty much Han. A good example would be the peoples to the far-south, traditionally referred to as the Baiyue peoples (hundred yue peoples), now just Yue (also known as Cantonese). A group which I am apart of. It is believed that the Cantonese are half Yue and half Han. But I can almost guarantee you will not run into any Cantonese that does not consider themselves Han. (...wait a minute did I see this type of thinking back in the Han Dynasty?)

I don't really have an argument, but I just wanted to clarify what it is to be Han (for Lindel). Han ancestry can actually be traced, through blood and books. Something that "Caucasians" cannot do, at least something MOST Caucasians cannot do.

You know, perhaps the inventions above WERE developed by a lot of minority groups, but they eventually interbred to become Han. In addition, Tim never said "HAN INVENTIONS", he said Chinese (Chinese is a much broader term nowadays, you don't have to be Han). The one thing you should really understand about Chinese people is; we tend to lean towards unity. Yes, we love to bash on each others cities, and provinces (damn those Shanghainese!!!), but in the end, we know that we are one (its all friendly).

Try not to distinguish too much Lindel; focusing too much on "ethnic diversity" tends to lead to racism. One day, maybe all humans will stop trying to diversity, and unify. That would solve lots of problems (cough South Africa...).

[A B]

Despite this impressive list, China lagged behind in two key innovations:

- A system of markets (protected and administered by the government) that facilitate trade.

- A developed understanding of how to administer markets for the public good.

- A set of institutions that manage the above 2 goals on a sustained basis that can withstand changes in personnel, staff, and so on.

So at the end of the day, no matter how brilliant individual Chinese are, the innovations that are developed are ad hoc, accumulated and diffused slowly, and China got nearly overrun by the more sophisticated systems developed in the west.

[Netizen]

I saw an exchange on TV between a white writer and an aboriginal person. They were discussing some cultural issue which I forgot. The white person said, why didn't natives defeat the settlers when their numbers were clearly superior. Instead, settlers eliminated the aboriginal peoples in North America.

The aboriginal person was forced to reply. She was clearly annoyed his condescension and told him that the natives took pity on the settlers when the newcomers were lost and hungry in a strange enironment.

That's how the barbarians won: the natives took pity on them. Now they invent many different theories about how they did it.

[Netizen]

And now these ungrateful barbarians think turkeys are a gift of god.

[Pffefer]

For those of you who are interested in Chinese history, visit http://www.chinahistoryforum.com

[ShaMao]

I'm not sure that anything less should be expected of a 5000 year old civilization. One would perhaps expect a bit more. A couple things jump out, first I don't know what the data source is but my understanding (supported by a quick internet check) is that gunpowder was developed in China in the 9th not 12th century. One inaccuracy suggests multiple inaccuracies. Second, the Chinese education system has historically and currently stifled innovation through emphasis on memorization of facts and, traditionally, an emphasis on the greatness of the past rather than the future. Invention has been an aberration rather than a normal part of the Chinese intellectual and economic experience.

[nanheyangrouchuan]

1. Chinahistoryforum.com is a load of bull and panda lickers.

2. Many of China's "inventions" can be traced to earlier innovations in Mesopotamia like the abacus, geometry, canals, irrigation, and even accupuncture (read up on the body tattoos of Otzi, the 5000 year old Italian ice man).

And what China claims as its territory now (and therefore claiming said innovations) were most likely not Chinese territory at various times over the past 6000 years.

Remember, the Koreans ruled NE and eastern China for quite some time.

[Junhui]

nh, What Korean dynasty ruled NE China? I hope you aren't taking your sources from the Handan, that is about as credible as the latest verison of Harry Potter.

The Otzi dots are not proven to be acupuncture, it could have been a mark of a passage through manhood. Both are highly speculated and hypothesized upon. The speculation is almost as credible as thinking Chinese explorers were the first to discover the Americas. While both might be true and there is bits of evidence, there are just not enough solid facts.

Then again, a lot of inventions are claim by many of peoples, its the first one to document and write about it that ultimately gain credit. However this is not true about golf. "Golf" was supposedly documented well before the Scots even thought about playing it. But that doesn't necessarily mean that golf (in the modern sense) was invented by the Chinese. Acupuncture in a modern sense was well documented and formulated and is undeniably the same type of acupuncture that has gained world wide recognition.

If Otzi did in fact practice acupuncture, his art is lost and was not passed on. What use is an invention that cannot be learned by others?

As far as mathematics, the Greeks and the Chinese developed many mathematical theories at the same time, but few theorems are credited to Chinese mathematicians (at least not here in the states).

It is not surprising that many peoples in antiquity developed the same "inventions" relatively close to one another (in terms of time). Each "invention" has its own applications, and ultimately the one that worked best is still present in modern day application. (ie. Chinese Water Clock vs European Mechanical Clock which both showed up relatively at the same time).

A great example would be paper. Paper was invented early on by Egyptians (made from papyrus). But, that technique soon lost ground to superior plant fiber paper that was invented by the Chinese. So ultimately, the paper we have learned to know and love was in fact, invented by Chinese even though the concept of "paper" was developed long before.

[Pffefer]

Nh, you are a load of crap. Chinesehistoryforum.com has a lot of "dragon-slayers", if you will. But even those jerks are more knowledgeable than you.

Those so-called "Chinese inventions" were not inventions that took place in territories known as China today, stupid, they or inventions mostly done by the so-called "Han Chinese".

The Koreans did rule NE China for a while (Koguryo), but they did not rule eastern China. Get your facts straight.

[Junhui]

Ah, he's talking about Goguryeo. According to the history books, Goguryeo was founded around 37 BCE. The Han dynasty was present from about 200 BCE all the way to 200 CE. During that time Goguryeo was not at its peak. After the fall of Han dynasty, Goguryeo was able to grow because of the chaos (Three Kingdoms and such). But later lost some power to the Jin dynasty and continue to shrink as chaos was restored.

Whats the point of you referencing Goguryeo, NH? They ruled for quite some time? I'm afraid their time was cut short...What does this have to do with invention?

[Daniel]

Why is it that some people just seems to have the attitude of denying anythings and attacking every thing positive about China? Take for example, people like Lindel above, when the Tibetan issue was hot and heavy in the past few months, they lay blames and assigned all the vices and vile and negativities to "Han", but when the wind changed course to issues more neutral, suddenly, people like Lindel suggested that may be there is no "pure-Han" people after all? What is your point- the Lindel-gang?

[WC]

Hi Tim: Are you nut? Did you got "soft" on the evil empire china copying from Price Waterhouse Copper on the Olympic metal predictions and putting a positive spin on the Red Empire? Did someone got double dip on McDonnel News and CIA (I got confused, does the C stands for Central or China?).
Tim, did you check out Mr. Simon Winchester who may be a double agent, or a closet panda hugger and/or a turncoat CCTV propaganda machine getting paid by the billions on the side from Beijing for writing this book? I am getting more confused by the minute. Please help.
But seriously, I am, the entire west mass media and Hollywood's rich and famous, are extremely proud of your very "balanced" article. It would and should be a shining example of a professional journalist's master piece. It would also be a subject of duscussions in Journalism 101 class in universities. No wonder you were a recipient of a very prestige journalism award. Congratulation!

[Junhui]

@WC..
I was lost at "hi". You know, I agree with you that this article seems to be out of place. But if you actually walk out your door and go into a store called "BORDERS", you know, the book store. I really think you would be surprised to see that the book Tim mentioned is right in the line of sight. At least the BORDERS I went to.

Why talk about the book? Well, it's just a good example of what a "panda hugger" may look like (as defined in Tim's next article). As for you, I think you would be a prime example of a "dragon slayer".

Why does news have to be about some bashing? If Tim only published articles criticizing China, would he not then be very unbalanced?

If you don't enjoy his articles, why not leave rather than critique on his style? You obviously care enough to read what he has to say.

[WC]

Junhui: Hint: It has nothing to do with Tim's article. Everything to do with the West and Tim.
You don't even know what I try to say. Read a few more times and may be you know.

[WC]

Junhui: If you still don't know, go ask Tim. He might tell you.

[Chuck]

It is interesting that Joseph Needham was an embryologist and was also fascinated by acupuncture, regarding it as 'celestrial lancet'. It is perhaps not coincidental that the only modern acupuncture theory which has met the gold standard of science is also based on embryology. This embryology based explanation of acupuncture has successfully predicted multiple research results which have been independently confirmed by embryologists and acupuncture researchers. For details: ecam.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/nem122v1?ijkey=e5Jh5CtHdNZD8kW&keytype=ref

[gg]

The so called "Han" Chinese are in fact an amalgamation of many different people over a 5,000-year period. Huangdi and Yandi, who are considered the ancestors of all Chinese today, in fact belonged to two different ethnic groups (the Hua and the Xia). Huangdi eventually defeated Yandi, and the 2 groups merged into a single people called Huaxia. They formed a small but strong core group, the original Chinese, and over the next 5,000 year, many, many different ethnic groups were absorbed in to this group and became “Chinese.” These groups include people from the Chu kingdom, the Yong Kingdom, Ba Kingdom, the Shu Kingdom, the Xingu (known as the Huns), the Tocharians, the Qiang and Tibetans, the Xianbei, the Mongols, Arabs and Jews (yes, China is the only country in the world where the Jews were completely assimilated), and many, many “Barbarian” groups. In fact, the Chinese language probably the most words for Barbarians among all languages. Where did all the Barbarians go -- they mostly were assimilated by the Chinese, and this process is ongoing: the Manchu, who were a Barbarian people, are gradually being completely absorbed into the “Han” population and will eventually disapear as an independent people.

The remarkable thing about the “Han” Chinese is their remarkable ability to assimilate and transform other ethnic groups into “Han” Chinese.

[Nupur Das]

What is acupuncture? It is a form of holistic healthcare that is used to prevent and treat certain diseases as well as relieve pain and anesthetize patients for surgery. Research shows that this began in China and has been practiced for more than 5,000 years.

The earliest account of this is found in the book called Nei Jing which in English means the Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine. The contents of this book date somewhere around 200 BC. Back then, they did not use metal needles and instead used those made out of stone, moxibustion and herbs to treat a patient.