Important Inventions/Discoveries of the Chinese



Chinese Fire Lance

The Chinese invented or discovered many things that have had a profound impact throughout the recent history of the world.  Of these are:  silk, coal, steel, paper, porcelain, woodblock printing, moveable type, books, gunpowder, fire lance (an ancestor of the gun), and fireworks.  Furthermore, they built large ships with rudders and sails and began using the compass for navigation.  These inventions/discoveries themselves, or products that have developed from these inventions/discoveries, are still very much in use today.