What Did the Ancient Chinese Do For Me?
Our modern society owes a lot to the ancient Chinese. Have you ever enjoyed flying a kite? Playing with dominoes? Remember that time you were thankful that you had an umbrella when it started to rain? Do you practice martial arts? You probably remember eating some delicious ice cream! The ancient Chinese are to thank for all of those inventions, and many more.
The ancient Chinese invented the kite, dominoes, the folding umbrella, paper, and ice cream. They also invented the fine art of making silk, which was kept secret for hundreds of years. The ancient Chinese created a postal service, as well as matches, gunpowder, and fireworks. They even invented a to detect earthquakes. These are just a few of the inventions and technology of the ancient Chinese.
The ancient Chinese used gunpowder to launch multistage rockets.
The inventions that advanced ancient Chinese culture continue to influence our daily lives and the modern world. Look at the illustration below. Can you see some of the technology the ancient Chinese used that we still use today?
Ancient Chinese dynasties
Chinese civilization grew along with . Although ancient China included a huge area of land, most people settled in places that were ideal for farming. This was usually along river valleys and areas where water and good soil were easily available. Living along the rivers also allowed people to easily move and transport goods among settlements.
Ancient China was ruled by several different dynasties. A and unite a huge area in Asia.
This map shows the area of land ruled by the Qin dynasty.
Two of the worlds most famous historic places were built in the time of Qin Shihuangdi, who ruled from 221 bce until his death in 210 bce. The first place is the first emperors . It contains around 8,000 life-size warriors made from clay. The second is the Great Wall of China, which was improved and made bigger by the emperor.
The Great Wall of China is the longest man-made structure in the world.
Ancient China was ruled by other dynasties, as you will see from the timeline on pages 28 and 29. The Han dynasty came after the Qin and lasted over 400 years, from 206 bce to 220 ce, with a short break. The ideas that came about during the Han dynasty affected China for the next 2,000 years. Ancient China is also known for many things besides the sites of the first emperor. These include famous inventions, ideas, and philosophies that are still popular today.
Naming China
The name China comes from the Qin dynasty (221206 bce).
What Was Daily Life Like in Ancient China?
Like many people in modern societies, the ancient Chinese were concerned about how they looked. Chinese men usually wore hats. These hats were often made of fine silk. Women in cities had mirrors, jewelry, and makeup. They used tweezers to pluck their eyebrows. Women would put crushed pearl powder on their faces to make their skin appear paler and smoother. Pearl powder is still sold today as a makeup and facial cream.
The ancient Chinese found creative and fun ways to spend their spare time, much like we do today. They used playing cards and dominoes. They also invented board games such as Go, which was similar to Othello, and Xiangqi, which was their version of chess. They had sports similar to modern sportswrestling, archery contests, and boat races. Gymnastics was popular, and there were many competitions held around ancient China.
Chinese checkers
Chinese checkers is not a Chinese game. It has no relation to either China or checkers.
Then
The fame of ancient Chinese silk gave the trade route between China, the Middle East, and Europe the name Silk Road. Silk is strong, soft, and easily colored and painted. The ancient Chinese traded their silk fabrics as far west as ancient Rome, where wealthy people purchased them. The skills for harvesting silk and making silk fabrics were closely guarded secrets. No one outside of China knew how it was done.
Now
The secret is out now! Silk is made from strands of the silk worms cocoon. The silk worm is raised on a diet of mulberry leaves. It spins its cocoon after four to five weeks. The cocoons fibers are then woven into silk. Silk is still a very popular fabric today, and China is still the worlds leading producer of silk.
The art of making silk is still carried on in this modern-day factory in China. This woman is working with the cocoons of silk worms.
Food and drink
Most people around the world have experienced Chinese food. But you may not have thought of ancient China the last time you ate ice cream, even though the ancient Chinese are said to have invented the treat! Tea was an even more important food item in ancient Chinese culture. In fact, tea is mentioned in Chinese writing dating back 5,000 years. Tea has been the national drink of China throughout its history. Today, Chinese teas are popular worldwide.
Food seasoning
Adding seasoning to food once it had been served was considered rude in ancient China.
Umbrellas and kites
The ancient Chinese created and used other amazing things in their daily lives, including the pottery wheel, wallpaper, porcelain china, and paper money. They even invented folding umbrellas over 3,000 years ago! Like today, there was entertainment, including music, acrobatic, and other performances. The ancient Chinese also invented the kite. They created huge kites shaped like dragons and other animals, which took great skill to fly.
Large dragon kites such as this were sometimes used in ancient China to scare or distract enemies during battles. Today, people create them as works of art and fly them for fun.
Then
More than 3,000 years ago, the ancient Chinese mixed snow and ice with sweet juices made from fruit and honey to create the worlds first ice cream. Ice cream later spread west to Europe. It is said that when he returned from exploring China in 1295 ce, the Italian traveler Marco Polo brought back a recipe for ice cream.
Now
Once the idea of ice cream was out, and people got a taste, it spread around the world. When the refrigerator and freezer were invented in the 1800s, it was even easier to make ice cream available to more people. Today ice cream is more popular than ever. Over one billion gallons of ice cream and frozen desserts are produced each year in the United States alone!