2. Papermaking is one of the four great inventions in China and an outstanding invention in the history of human civilization. China is the first country in the world to raise silkworms and weave silk. In ancient China, the working people spun silk from superior cocoons, and the remaining evil cocoons and diseased cocoons were made into silk floss by bleaching. After floating, some residual flocs will be left on the mat.
When the flossing frequency is high, the residual flossing on the pad will accumulate into fiber sheets, which can be peeled off after drying and can be used for writing. This kind of floc is called "He Qi" or "square floc" in ancient books because of its small number of by-products. It can be seen that the origin of papermaking in China is related to silk floss.
3, gunpowder
A black or brown explosive is made of potassium nitrate, charcoal and sulfur by mechanical mixing. It is first made into powder and then generally made into particles of different sizes according to different uses. It was the only military propellant until smokeless powder was used.
Gunpowder was invented by an ancient alchemist during the Sui and Tang Dynasties in China, and it has been 1000 years. The study of gunpowder began with the ancient Taoist alchemy. The ancients refined Dan medicine to live forever. The purpose and motive of alchemy are advanced, but its experimental method still has some advantages, which eventually led to the invention of gunpowder.
Step 4 print
(1) block printing:
At present, the earliest woodcut printed matter is a one-page edition of Dalagni Sutra written in Indian Sanskrit, printed on linen paper, published in 650-670, and unearthed in the Tang Mausoleum near Xi 'an in 1974.
1966, archaeologists discovered a miniature Dalagni Buddhist sutra in Korea, which contained the handwriting of Zetian issued by Empress Wu Zetian in the Tang Dynasty (about 690 -705). Scholars infer that the sutra was not earlier than 704, and later it was treasured in a stupa built in the era of Silla in 75 1 year.
(2) Block printing:
According to the research of historian Deng Guangming, woodblock printing was invented in the Tang Dynasty, which was the most developed golden age in China history. Many Taoist priests participated in the research and innovation of printing, which was widely used in the middle and late Tang Dynasty. ? Although movable type printing was invented in Song Dynasty, block printing is still widely used.
(3) Movable type printing:
Shen Kuo, a scientist, politician and Taoist scholar in the Northern Song Dynasty, once wrote an article entitled "Trapdoor" in Meng Xi Talk, which introduced the whole process of trapdoor printing in detail, which was easy to understand and very detailed.
In his book "Talking about Meng Xi" written by 1088, he attributed this invention to an unknown craftsman Bi Sheng (990-105 1). Shen Kuo used sintered clay characters to describe the glyphs made by Bi Sheng, arranged the characters, printed them, and took them apart for later use. Although movable type printing was invented in Song Dynasty, block printing is still widely used.
(4) Wooden movable type:
Wang Zhen, a famous Taoist scholar, agronomist and mechanic in Yuan Dynasty, made clear the wooden movable type and created a relatively simple turntable typesetting method suitable for the complex characteristics of Chinese characters. Later, metal movable type was invented and movable type printing was improved. Printed prints of the Tang Dynasty spread to Japan. In the late 8th century, Dalagni classics were completed in Japan, and then spread to Korea, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. /kloc-In the 5th century, Germans learned to cast characters with alloys, and movable type printing pioneered by Bi Sheng spread all over Europe.
Extended data:
The Chinese nation has always been proud of the "four great inventions"-papermaking, printing, gunpowder and compass. However, the term "Four Great Inventions" was born in the period of War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression.
There are many names related to "Four Books and Five Classics" in Chinese civilization, such as Four Books and Five Classics, Four Beautiful Women, Four Calligraphers in Early Tang Dynasty, Four Calligraphers in Song Dynasty, Yuan Sijia, Four Rare Books and Four Classical Novels. Although "Four Great Inventions" are also one of them, this name is much younger than those mentioned above. What is even more unexpected is that it was first put forward by a foreigner.
The "Three Great Inventions" were first put forward by Francis Bacon, an English philosopher in the 7th century. Bacon believes that the three great inventions of printing, gunpowder and compass have changed the whole face and situation of things all over the world: first, academically, second, in war, and third, in navigation.
And caused countless changes. No sect, no empire, no star has a greater influence on human affairs than these mechanical discoveries. Bacon's statement was recognized by British sinologist maddox and revolutionary mentor Marx.
Maddox pointed out: "For a long time, China people's invention talent has been manifested in many aspects. The three great inventions of China have provided extraordinary impetus for the development of European civilization. " Marx once commented: "gunpowder, compass and printing-these are the three great inventions that predict the arrival of bourgeois society."
Gunpowder blew the knight class to pieces, the compass opened the world market and established colonies, while printing became a tool of Protestantism, a means of scientific rejuvenation in general, and the most powerful lever to create the necessary premise of spiritual development. "
Yue Se, a missionary and sinologist, was the first person to add papermaking to the above three inventions. When comparing Japan and China, he pointed out that "we must always remember that they (referring to Japan) have no outstanding inventions like printing, papermaking, compass and gunpowder …" This list of inventions was later carried forward by Joseph Needham, a famous British historian of science and technology.
1942, War of Resistance against Japanese Aggression was at a stalemate. Although the guerrillas behind the enemy lines led by the * * * production party are flourishing, the Kuomintang troops have been repeatedly defeated and demoralized, and Chiang Kai-shek is worried and restless. In the face of the Republic of China, where mountains and rivers were broken and people were devastated, Chiang Kai-shek felt that something was urgently needed to boost the morale of the army and inspire the people.
At this time, he overheard that Joseph Needham, a British scholar, was engaged in the study of the history of science and technology in China, so he immediately sent someone to send Joseph Needham and his assistant and his wife Lu Guizhen in China to Chongqing to study the history of science and technology in China. What Chiang Kai-shek talked to Needham when he met him is unknown to outsiders.
But what we know is that Joseph Needham soon proposed in the second year, namely 1943, that papermaking, printing, compass and gunpowder were the "four great inventions" in ancient China. The research results caused a sensation in China, and then spread all over the world.
Baidu Encyclopedia-Four Great Inventions in China