Four great inventions of ancient China

Encyclopedia : F : FO : FOU : Four great inventions of ancient China

Please [http://encycl.opentopia.com/ expand] this article.
Further information might be found in a section of the [talk page] or at [Requests for expansionRequests for expansion].
Please remove this message once the article has been expanded.

This article or section is in need of attention from an expert on the subject.
Please help recruit one, or improve this page yourself}} if you can. See [discussion page] for details.

Cai Lun, inventer of paper

The Four Great Inventions of Ancient China (known in Chinese as 四大发明, Pinyin: sì dà fā míng) are the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing. These inventions are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance and as signs of ancient China's advanced science and technology.

These four discoveries had an enormous impact on the development of Chinese civilization and a far-ranging global impact; however gunpowder was first purified and used as an effective explosive by the Arabs and the printing press was most likely invented independently of the Chinese by Gutenburg because of the tremendous differences between the systems. According to English philosopher Francis Bacon, writing in Novum Organum, "Printing, gunpowder and the compass: These three have changed the whole face and state of things throughout the world; the first in literature, the second in warfare, the third in navigation; whence have followed innumerable changes, in so much that no empire, no sect, no star seems to have exerted greater power and influence in human affairs than these mechanical discoveries." ([s] - Adapted from the )

Karl Marx also commented that, "Gunpowder, the compass, and the printing press were the three great inventions which ushered in bourgeois society. Gunpowder blew up the knightly class, the compass discovered the world market and founded the colonies, and the printing press was the instrument of Protestantism and the regeneration of science in general; the most powerful lever for creating the intellectual prerequisites." ([Economic Manuscripts of 1861-63, Division of Labour and Mechanical Workshop. Tool and Machinery])

Although neither mentioned papermaking specifically, it can be seen as a prerequisite to the development and widespread use of print.

From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.