China’s Legacy
Western
Culture as a whole doesn’t respect the contributions of the East! I will give you an example and make it
abundantly clear, China’s contributions to humanity are greater than any of the
Renaissance contributions that are thrown up as the crème of the crop! Lets talk about that right now by looking at
these contributions that China beget humanity:
The lists of
contributions are gunpowder, paper, paper money, compasses, abacuses, the
printing press, the planetariums, and the mechanical clock.
These are not
all of the contributions in the form of inventions but it is a great sample of
the contributions that have impacted humanity.
Gunpowder is probably the most impactful invention ever as it changed
the landscape for war and introduced fire weapons and fireworks. Paper lead to the ability to create books and
China has the first recorded book ever to be written. Paper money as a way to
pay for debts owed is another significant contribution that is universally used
by all cultures. Personal compasses were developed by the Chinese and used for
traveling which came in handy as they were great maritime travelers and are
also recognized as building the first cargo ship.
Four Most
Innovative Contributions
The four most
innovative contributions that Ancient China passed on to humanity are
gunpowder, cast iron, paper and the compass.
I chose these as the most innovative because each of these contributions
were fathers of invention that bore sons that went on to become just as important.
Gunpowder was first made in the Tang Dynasty and then improved in the Song
Dynasty. The main ingredients were sulphur, saltpeter, and charcoal. The original purpose of this mixture was to
treat skin infections but in their search for an elixir Chinese alchemists
found that sulphur was flammable. The experimented with the saltpeter to
control the volatility and added by charcoal to the mix they could cause an
explosion. The resulting experiments with these three ingredients led to
gunpowder which then led to fire weapons like cannon balls, fireworks that were
used against ships, and fire arms.
There are no
clear lines for the development and creation of iron but we do know that China
developed between 403-422 BC superior blast furnaces and technical apparatuses
with which to produce cast iron, techniques not employed in Europe until the
Middle Ages. Early iron artifacts in China included swords and other weapons as
well as implements of common use, such as axes, adzes, sickles, hoes, and other
equipment that revolutionized Chinese agriculture. That list alone of the
implements of common use is a great reason why I have listed cast iron as one
of the innovative contributions that China has passed on.
The invention
of paper is generally attributed to a Chinese court official, Cai Lun (Ts'ai
Lun), in about A.D. 105, although the Chinese had probably made paper from silk
fibers even earlier. Cai Lun, however, was the first to succeed in making a
paper from vegetable fibers—tree bark, rags, old fish netting. Paper made of hemp was produced by the Han and
had existed for over 200 years but Lun improved both the techniques used and
the quality. This improvement led to
China developing widespread literacy much more rapidly than in the West. A
world without paper is unimaginable given what is produced from paper products,
which I will detail shortly.
The compass is
another major innovative contribution that has made a significant impact on
humanity as it has allowed for maritime travels and discovery of new undiscovered
land. The compass is said to be traced back to the Han Dynasty between 300-200
BC, who fashioned a rudimentary compass out of lodestone. The compass’ original
function may have been to search for gems and the selection of sites for houses
but heir directive power led to the use of compasses for navigation. Without
the compass seamen couldn’t explore the seas with purpose and it’s for this
reason that I have the compass listed as innovative and a major contribution to
the world at that time and to humanity later. Improvements were made and along
paradigm shifts now reveal humans as masters of the seas and travel as
compasses have allowed for organized travel and discovery.
Gunpowder,
Cast Iron, Paper and the Compass
Gunpowder,
Cast Iron, Paper, and the Compass all have made indelible marks on society as
we have seen several things born from these inventions. Gunpowder spawned fire weapons which were key
to expanding China’s influence and empire.
Their maritime operations were second to none and the fire weapons
employed on the vessels they created were unlike any other and it definitely
influenced European maritime operations after they witnessed the Chinese in
action with their fire weaponry. The
most important of the fire weapons is in my opinion the firearm which gone on
to reach incredible importance in all phases of diplomacy, protection, and
expansion for established governments of the world we now live in. Casting Iron and then being able to form it
has proved to be very important in all cultures. The ability to form iron has resulted
creating structures like tools, weapons, vehicles, and buildings. I can think
of many steel tools that we use and on a daily basis for example eating
utensils. Can you imagine the impact of
living in today’s society without steel which is a son of iron? Weapons again
are here and part of the landscape and iron and steel were made after the
casting iron techniques were developed. Swords, knives, guns, cannon-balls,
etc. are just some of the things that are synonymous with the 21st century that
would not be available without the development of cast iron. The formation of paper as tool for writing
alone has made paper a remarkable contribution. The creation of paper with the
printing press (movable type) stands out as major Ancient Chinese contributions
that have made an unmistakable impact on the spread of literacy through-out the
world. There is some debate about the timelines for both the creation of paper,
of which some claim was a European development, and the Gutenberg Press having
more impact during the Renaissance but most scholars agree that paper and
printing were Chinese developments. The development of the magnetic compass
made navigation of the seas possible and later on exploration of new
lands. Maritime operations and
explorations allowed Europeans to explore new lands and the results of course
was their discovery of the Americas. This changed the course of history as
English settlers who were at odds with the King of England later built the
foundation of the United States of America.
China’s Most
Important Contribution
We’ve talked
about several of China’s contributions to humanity in the form of the
inventions they created. Gunpowder, Cast
Iron, Paper, and the Compass were chosen as four of the most innovative
contributions. I now would like to say
that out of all of these contributions I think China’s most important
contribution was paper. I chose paper
because without paper widespread literacy and learning would not have not have
been recorded. There have been methods
for recording language for example the Egyptians had hieroglyphics and papyrus
but these items were not built for transport like paper is. History which is the recording of events
transferred for reading and understanding at a later time is not possible
without paper. These reasons are why I
consider paper as China’s most important contribution to humanity.
Amazingly,
China’s contributions are not applauded as much as you hear about Europe's
contributions which are often triumphed in the form of Roman's and Greek's
contributions which of course include the Renaissance. China's contributions stand side by side with
those contributions and now forever in my eyes will get the glory they deserve.
Don’t you
agree?!
