# The most important inventions of ancient China

Besides the "Four Great Inventions" of papermaking, the compass, gunpowder and printing, ancient China also invented silk, porcelain, paper money, the seismoscope and tofu. Which one had the biggest impact on the world?

- 0 votes · 20 items
- Jun 1, 2024 · Huiling Lim
- https://even.best/en/l/2628/the-most-important-inventions-of-ancient-china

## Top 20

1. **Papermaking** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — One of the Four Great Inventions, improved by Cai Lun in the Eastern Han.
2. **The compass** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — First called the "south-pointer", later used for navigation.
3. **Gunpowder** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Invented by Tang dynasty alchemists.
4. **Printing** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — From Tang woodblock printing to Bi Sheng's movable type.
5. **Silk** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Silkworm farming and reeling; the Silk Road is named after it.
6. **Porcelain** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — In English, "china" also means porcelain.
7. **Paper money** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Northern Song jiaozi was one of the world's first paper currencies.
8. **The seismoscope** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Zhang Heng's instrument for detecting earthquakes.
9. **The armillary sphere** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — An ancient astronomical instrument showing the movement of the heavens.
10. **The kite** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Possibly first used for military signalling.
11. **The wheelbarrow** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A handy tool for carrying goods.
12. **The crossbow** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A long-range weapon widely used by the Warring States period.
13. **Cast iron** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — China mastered iron casting very early.
14. **Lacquerware** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Fine objects coated with natural lacquer.
15. **Tofu** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Legend credits Liu An, King of Huainan in the Western Han.
16. **Tea** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The habit of drinking tea spread from China to the whole world.
17. **The toothbrush** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The bristle toothbrush appeared in ancient China.
18. **Xiangqi (Chinese chess)** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — A board game played for a thousand years.
19. **The arch bridge** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — The Sui dynasty Zhaozhou Bridge is the world's oldest surviving open-spandrel stone arch bridge.
20. **The fan** (0 · ▲0 ▼0) — Fans have a long history in China.

How is this ranking ordered? By people's votes: each ▲ adds a point and each ▼ takes one away. Anyone can vote and add what is missing.