In the 5th week of chinese class, we learned about the significance of science and technology of ancient china. Many of the important inventions that came from china included the compass, papermaking, gunpowder, and the seismograph. One of the most important inventions that came from China was the creation of paper. During the Eastern Han dynasty, the creation of refined paper by Cai lun paved the way to creativity because he improved upon the formation of paper sheets. Back in elementary school in china, i was taught that the emperor’s cabinet members would use a stone tablet as a form of documenting important information regarding relations with other nations. As time went on, the documentation method would soon become outdated because it became much more inconvenient to store the tablets in the king’s bookshelves and how heavy they were in being transported from one area to another. As a small child, i did not appreciate the invention of loose leaf paper because it held little value to me. However, as i grew up learning about the origins of papermaking in ancient china, i began to appreciate the advancements of papermaking that originated from old tortoise shells to raw bamboo sheets. In addition to papermaking, i thought it was fascinating to see old chinese documents aging from the Han dynasty to the Ming dynasty being stored in museums as a way of commemorating the creation of paper in recording important historical moments in ancient china. Without the creation of paper from Cai lun, our lives would be much more difficult and it would make essay-writing much more bothersome in major schools around the world.
The next invention that is fairly important in ancient China was the creation of the seismograph. The seismograph was created by Zhang heng in 25-220 B.C as a way to measure the activity of an earthquake. The creation of the seismograph is important because ancient china and it’s surrounding countries namely Taiwan, are known for experiencing earthquakes on a natural basis. For example, on Feb. 10, 2016; an earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 resulted in a death toll of about 116 people. Earthquakes such as these are life-threatening to many chinese people and poses a detrimental effect on the economy as well. Many chinese buildings such as the Weiguan Golden Dragon tower collapsed in Tainan and caused many casualties as a result of it’s destruction. Therefore, the invention of the seismograph was used to predict as well as locate the direction of an incoming earthquake before it ensues. By using the seismograph in advance, the chinese people could prepare for a natural disaster and get to safety before the earthquake hits their hometown.
By exploring the parameters of chinese inventions, it allowed a greater sense of appreciation for those who have sacrificed their time and effort to create things that are beneficial for the community. Inventions such as the compass, seismograph, papermaking, gunpowder, and textile paved the way to further advancements that made life possible today.
Seismograph
World 203 - Chinese Culture 