The four great inventions greatly promoted the development of politics, economy and culture in ancient China. But also had a great influence on the development history of world civilization.
First, papermaking.
Papermaking was invented by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Since it was invented by Cai Lun, it can only replace the bulky bamboo slips.
On the basis of the cereal paper of the Han Dynasty, rattan paper made of rattan skin appeared in the Jin Dynasty, and papermaking became popular in the Tang Dynasty.
Because Li Shimin of Emperor Taizong loved Wang Xizhi's Preface to the Lanting Pavilion, Zhang Yanyuan said, "Good people should set up hundreds of Xuan papers and wax them and copy them." In ancient times, a good tatami painting won seven or eight out of ten, and you didn't lose your mind to draw a brown pen. "(Record of Famous Paintings in Past Dynasties (Volume 2). According to Yan Yuan, the skill of copying and writing is not only used for writing, but also for painting. The paper used should be not only thin, but also waxed. Whether it is used in space or painting, it doesn't matter whether the paper used is light or waxed. There is no doubt that it must have some transparency. Paper-making, once again in the battle between the Tang Dynasty and Arabia, the leader of Xuanzong of the Tang Dynasty died, which made Tang Jun defeated, and Dashi (Arabia) won the battle. There were paper workers in the captured Tang army, so Arabs also learned to make paper and promoted cultural exchanges.
Second, printing.
Printing in China can be divided into movable type printing and block printing. The heyday of printing was in the Song Dynasty, when block printing was first invented. But in Song Dynasty, Bi Sheng thought, why should the same words be engraved repeatedly? Therefore, it is very convenient to invent this kind of movable type printing and typesetting, and it can be disassembled and put in other places, which is very convenient. Therefore, printing has been evolving and has become today's convenience.
This is the block printing.
Third, the compass.
Compass is a navigation system at sea, which can guide the direction. Because of the compass, it evolved into the compass today. After the invention of compass, it was widely used in military and navigation. The compass was also in full swing in the Song Dynasty, which was a dynasty that valued literature over martial arts. Many civilizations started from this, even the compass is no exception. The invention of compass makes the sea route clear at a glance, and improves the accuracy and safety of navigation.
Fourth, gunpowder
Gunpowder was invented in the Three Kingdoms period, when it was used as firecrackers. It was not used as a military until the Song Dynasty. Gunpowder is made of saltpeter, sulfur and charcoal, and can be used as cannon, rifle, etc. It can be used to dig mountains, walls and holes, as a firecracker, or as a military weapon. ......
14th century later, Europeans learned the knowledge of gunpowder from Arabs, learned how to make firearms, and gunpowder was officially introduced to Europe.
Cai Lun invented papermaking in the first year of Yuan Xing in the Eastern Han Dynasty (105). He used plant raw materials such as bark, hemp head, cloth and fishing net to make paper through crushing, ramming, copying and baking.
Bi Sheng invented movable type printing in the Northern Song Dynasty.
Compass is one of the cultural treasures in ancient China and an outstanding representative of ancient scientific and technological achievements in China. However, since the Song Dynasty, the compass has been lost. However, the rapid popularization of compass led people in Ming and Qing Dynasties to confuse compass with compass, resulting in misinformation that lasted for hundreds of years. In fact, the compass uses the finger polarity of magnets, while the compass uses mechanical devices to realize directionality. The principle and structure of the two are completely different.
There are quite a few records about compasses in ancient books, but there are great differences. Until now, many scholars still have different views on this. First of all, what is the purpose of the compass? Is it for guidance? Some scholars pointed out that the South Guide Car was a kind of etiquette car used by the ancient emperors of China, and it was neither used to measure directions nor to guide practice. So, who invented the compass first? Legend has it that it was written by the Yellow Emperor, and some people say it was written by the Duke of Zhou. Actually, it's about the Western Han Dynasty. The book "Miscellanies of Xijing" says: "Take the south car, drive four, and take the middle road". Later, Zhang Heng of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Ma Jun of the Three Kingdoms all built the South Guide Car. It is said that Ma Jun's compass is equipped with a Woodenhead and a magnet. No matter which direction the car goes, Woodenhead's hand always points to the south. However, this statement is not very reliable. What exactly is a compass car like? "Yu Jin Fu Zhi" is more clear: "The south locomotive, the guide car, and the four horses, its system is like a building, three levels; The four-cornered golden dragon is crowned with feathers; Carving wood is immortal, clothing is feather, and it stands in the car. Although the car is still there, it is often a guide. " Later, the Southern Dynasties, the Song Dynasty and the Qi Dynasty also had a compass. "Book of Rites" said: "Its system is like a drum cart, with Woodenhead on the top and the guidance of raising hands on the bottom. Although the car turns, it does not move. " "The Biography of Nanqi Zu Chongzhi" also said: "There is no end to the change of bronzes (guide cars)."
There are many other historical records about the south guide car, but they are generally limited to the shape, performance, manufacturing technology, use and so on. , with some legends and stories. It was not until the Song Dynasty that there was a detailed description of the South Guide Car. The History of the Song Dynasty recorded in detail the internal transmission systems, dimensions, specifications and types of two kinds of South-pointing cars made by Yan Su and Wu Deren. From this, we know the structure and principle of the south guide car, which is roughly like this: the body is a two-wheeled car, the trunk is a reconstructed structure, and a Woodenhead stands on it with its arm pointing south. There is a set of gear transmission mechanism which can be automatically engaged and disengaged in the suitcase. When the car turns to the east (left) from the due south, the front end of the east shaft moves to the left and the rear end moves to the right (west), that is, the right transmission gear is released, so that the rotation of the wheel can drive the big gear below Woodenhead to turn to the right, which just offsets the influence of the car turning left, and makes Woodenhead's arm still point to the south. When the car turns west (right), loosen the transmission gear on the left and make the big gear turn left to offset the influence of the car turning right. When the car goes straight, the wheel and the gear train are separated, so the direction pointed by the wooden arm is not affected by the rotation of the wheel. In this way, no matter whether the driving direction of the car is east, west, north, south or constantly changing, Woodenhead's arm on the car always points to the south, which plays a guiding role.
If the compass was really invented in the period of the Yellow Emperor, it was first invented in the period of the Yellow Emperor.