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Arielle Percer

Ms. Diane Nicoll

7th Grade History

Oct. 27, 2017

Inventions in Medieval China

Trace the historical influence of such discoveries as tea, manufacture of paper, wood-

block printing, and the compass.

Woodblock printing and paper were very important inventions in medieval China. Paper

had a vast impact because it allowed the medieval Chinese to use their materials more wisely and

gave them a better resource. Before paper was invented, the Chinese used bamboo, bone, and

silk to write on. When paper was invented the Chinese did not have to use expensive material, to

write on. Not only did paper allowed them to write and document on non-expensive material, it

also allowed them to write easily without worrying about cracking what they were writing on.

“Among the most globally significant innovations of the Tang (618–906) and Song (960–1279)

dynasties were the inventions of woodblock printing and movable type, enabling widespread

publishing of a variety of texts, and the dissemination of knowledge and literacy” (“The

Invention of Woodblock Printing in the Tang [618–906] and Song [960–1279] Dynasties”). As

you can see, woodblock printing improved the ability of the Chinese to print money, laws,

books, documents and many other important materials. These inventions allowed for

considerable improvements in the governing abilities of the empire.

Gunpowder and the compass were both important inventions that the Chinese used to

improve their military. The compass was a “ladle-like magnet on a plate with the handle of the

ladle pointing to the south. In the 11th century, tiny needles made of magnetized steel were
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invented. One end of the needle points north while the other points south” (“Four Great

Inventions in China”). The compass was very important to the Chinese military because it helped

the Chinese navigate when at sea in easier ways. This allowed them to travel quicker and

conquer more land. Gunpowder was equally useful to the military just like the compass. “In

Chinese, gunpowder is called huo yao, meaning flaming medicine” (“Four Great Inventions in

China”). Gunpowder was made of sulphur, saltpeter, and charcoal. It was used to fire bullets and

fire out of cannons. It was crucial because it helped advance the medieval China military.

Gunpowder was crucial because it allowed the Chinese to conquer bigger areas. Without the

compass and gunpowder, military in medieval China would never have advanced as much as it

did.

Tea was a very popular invention in medieval China. Tea was farmed from leafs. The

leafs were dried then boiled in a pot of hot water. This created the invention of tea. Tea was also

useful because of trade. The medieval Chinese would trade tea bringing in a source of income.

This was helpful because it helped the medieval Chinese flourish, and because it was stress a

reliever. “The practice of tea culture can bring the spirit and wisdom of human beings to a higher

orbit” (Annie Wu “Chinese Tea”). This was so important because stress was not good, because it

could impact medieval China in a bad way. But, tea was used as a stress reliever in medieval

China. Tea was very important to medieval China.

Wood-block printing, creation of paper, compass, gunpowder, and tea were all important

inventions in medieval China. Wood-block printing and paper took time to create but made the

medieval Chinese a lot more convenient. Both the compass and gunpowder advanced medieval

China’s navigation and military system. Tea was also important in medieval China for self

relieving purposes. Discoveries of tea, manufacture of paper, wood-block printing, and the
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compass impacted the history of China in powerful ways. All these invitations were very

important on the impact to Medieval China. Without these invitations, China’s military,

navigation, forms of writing, and relieving systems would be much different and our world today

could much different.

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Works Cited

“Four Great Inventions of Ancient China.” Travel China Guide, 1998,

www.travelchinaguide.com

“The Invention of Woodblock Printing in the Tang (618–906) and Song (960–1279) Dynasties.”

Asian | Education, education.asianart.org.

Wu, Annie. “Chinese Tea.” China Highlights, 10 Oct. 2016, www.chinahighlights.com