Ancient Chinese Inventions

By Tate Coleman

The ancient Chinese were one of the most active countries making inventions. They invented matches, the umbrella, the kite, lacquer, porcelain, the toothbrush, the fishing reel, and a lot more.

Porcelain

In ancient china, pottery was very common. More common than it is today, in fact. A rare and valuable kind is porcelain, made from white clay called kaolin, and powdered “china stone”. It is a rock, and it contains the mineral feldspar. When this clay is fired at very high temperatures, it is now porcelain. Porcelain is translucent, and it is harder and stronger than other clay. Early porcelain was made around 618-907 CE. The method for making porcelain was kept a secret because objects made of porcelain were very valuable.

Silk

Silk was very valuable in ancient China. They traded precious metals and other valuables for silk. They even named a series of roads “The Silk Road”. The value of silk back then was approximately a couple hundred dollars an ounce. The Silk Road was a trading route for merchants. They mostly trade silk, but they do trade other valuables.

Fire Sticks

The Chinese invented the first matches, made of thin sticks of pine. There was sulfur on the tips, and it ignited quickly when touched to a flame. The ancient Chinese called them “fire sticks”. They were useful for transferring a flame from one place to another.

UmbrellasUmbrellas were very different in ancient China than they are now. The tops were made of thick, oiled paper, which kept water out. But unlike today, the earlier versions of the umbrella didn’t close easily.

Chew Sticks

The ancient Chinese cleaned their teeth with a “chew stick”. A chew stick is a thin twig with some hairs from a hog’s neck. Eew, right? They didn’t even have toothpaste! The first toothbrush that had real bristles was invented in the 15th century. They had handles with either bone or bamboo in ancient China. They aren’t anything like a toothbrush today, were they?