In Chinese history, there are four great inventions (四大發明, sì dà fā míng): the compass (指南针, zhǐnánzhēn), gunpowder (火药, huǒyào), paper (造纸术, zào zhǐ shù), and printing technology (活字印刷术, huózì yìnshuā shù). Since ancient times, there have been dozens of other noteworthy inventions that have made people’s lives easier around the world.

Compass

Before the compass was invented, explorers had to look at the sun, moon, and stars for directional guidance. The Chinese first used magnetic rocks to determine north and south. This technique was later incorporated into the design of the compass.

Paper

The first version of paper was made of hemp, rag, and fishing net. This coarse paper was created in the Western Han Dynasty but it was too hard to write on so it wasn’t widely used. Cai Lun (蔡倫), a eunuch in the Eastern Han Dynasty court, invented a fine, white paper made of bark, hemp, cloth, and fishing net that could easily be written on.

Abacus

The Chinese abacus (算盤, suànpán) has seven or more rods and two parts. There are two beads on the top part and five beads on the bottom for decimals. Users can add, subtract, multiply, divide, find square roots and cube roots with the Chinese abacus.

Acupuncture

Acupuncture (針刺, zhēn cì), a form of Traditional Chinese Medicine in which needles are placed along the meridians of the body that control the flow of chi, was first mentioned in the ancient Chinese medical text Huangdi Neijing (黃帝內經) which was compiled during the Warring States Period. The oldest acupuncture needles were made of gold and found in Liu Sheng’s (劉勝) tomb. Liu was a prince in the Western Han Dynasty.

Chopsticks

Emperor Xin (帝辛), also called King Zhou (紂王) made ivory chopsticks during the Shang Dynasty. Bamboo, metal and other forms of chopsticks later evolved into the eating utensils used today.

Kites

Lu Ban (魯班), an engineer, philosopher, and artisan created a wooden bird in the fifth century BC which served as the first kite. Kites were first used as rescue signals when Nanjing was attacked by General Hou Jing. Kites were also flown for fun starting in the Northern Wei period.

Mahjong

The modern version of mahjong (麻將, má jiàng), is often attributed to Qing Dynasty diplomatic official Zhen Yumen though the origins of mahjong stretch back to the Tang Dynasty as the tile game is based on an ancient card game.

Seismograph

Though the modern seismograph was invented in the mid-nineteenth century, Zhang Heng (張衡), an official, astronomer, and mathematician of the Eastern Han Dynasty invented the first tool to measure earthquakes in 132 AD.

Tofu and Soymilk

Many scholars attribute tofu’s invention to Han Dynasty King Liu An (劉安) who prepared tofu in essentially the same way it is prepared today. Soymilk is also a Chinese invention.

Tea

普洱茶

The tea plant comes from Yunnan and its tea was first used for medicinal purposes. Chinese tea culture (茶文化, chá wénhuà) began later in the Han Dynasty.

Gunpowder

The Chinese first used gunpowder to make explosives used by the military in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period (五代十國, Wǔdài Shíguó). The Chinese invented cannons made of cast iron, cast iron landmines, and rockets, and gunpowder was used to make bamboo fireworks in the Song Dynasty.

Moveable Type

Moveable type was invented by Bi Sheng (畢昇), a craftsman who worked in a book factory in Hangzhou in the eleventh century. Characters were carved onto reusable clay blocks which were fired and then arranged in a metal holder brushed with ink. This invention contributed greatly to the history of printing.

Electronic Cigarette

Beijing pharmacist Hon Lik invented the electronic cigarette in 2003. It is sold through Hon’s Hong Kong company Ruyan (如煙).

Horticulture

Horticulture has a long history in China. To improve the shape, color, and quality of plants, grafting was used in the sixth century. Greenhouses were also used to cultivate vegetables.

在中国历史上，有四大发明(四大發明, ​sìdāfāmíng）：指南针(指南针, zhǐnánzhēn），火药(火药, huǒyáo），纸(造纸术, záo zhǐshù）和印刷技术(活字印刷术, 胡兹ìyìnshuāshù）。自古以来，有几十项其他值得注意的发明使世界各地的人们的生活变得更轻松。

罗盘

在指南针发明之前，探险者必须观察太阳、月亮和星星以获得方向指引。中国人首先使用磁性岩石来确定南北方向。这项技术后来被纳入指南针的设计中。

纸张

第一种纸是由大麻、破布和渔网制成的。这张粗糙的纸是西汉时期创造的，但它太难写，所以没有被广泛使用。蔡伦(蔡倫), 东汉朝廷的一位宦官发明了一种用树皮、大麻、布和渔网制成的精美白纸，很容易在上面书写。

算盘

中国算盘(算盤, suánpán）有七根或更多的杆和两个部件。顶部有两个珠子，底部有五个珠子表示小数。用户可以使用中国算盘进行加、减、乘、除、求平方根和立方根。

针灸

针灸疗法(針刺, ēn cì是一种传统的中医药，针沿着身体的经络放置，控制气的流动，最早在古代中医文本《黄帝内经》中提到(黃帝內經) 这本书是战国时期编纂的。最古老的针灸针是金制的，是在刘胜的家中发现的(劉勝) 坟墓刘是西汉时期的一位王子。

筷子

辛帝(帝辛), 也叫周王(紂王) 商代制造象牙筷子。竹子、金属和其他形式的筷子后来演变成了今天使用的餐具。

风筝

鲁班(魯班), 公元前五世纪，一位工程师、哲学家和工匠创造了一种木鸟，作为第一只风筝。风筝最初是在南京被侯京将军袭击时作为救援信号使用的。从北魏开始，风筝也被用来娱乐。

麻将

麻将的现代版本(麻將, 麻将的起源可以追溯到唐代，因为麻将是基于一种古老的纸牌游戏。

地震仪

虽然现代地震仪是在19世纪中叶发明的，但张衡(張衡), 东汉的一位官员、天文学家和数学家在公元132年发明了第一个测量地震的工具。

豆腐豆浆

许多学者把豆腐的发明归功于汉朝的国王刘安(劉安) 他们制作豆腐的方法基本上和今天一样。豆浆也是中国人的发明。

茶叶

这种茶树来自云南，其茶叶最早用于药用。中国茶文化(茶文化, 查韦斯（cháwénhuá）开始于汉朝后期。

火药

中国人最早在五代十国时期使用火药制造军队使用的炸药(五代十國, 8i.díW）。中国人发明了由铸铁、铸铁地雷和火箭制成的大炮，在宋朝，火药被用来制作竹烟花。

活字印刷

活字印刷是毕升发明的(畢昇), 11世纪在杭州一家书厂工作的工匠。汉字被刻在可重复使用的粘土块上，然后烧制，然后放在一个用墨水刷过的金属支架中。这项发明极大地促进了印刷史。

电子烟

北京药剂师韩力于2003年发明了电子烟。它是通过Hon香港公司（Ruyan）出售的。如煙).

园艺学

园艺在中国有着悠久的历史。为了改善植物的形状、颜色和质量，嫁接在六世纪被使用。温室也被用来种植蔬菜。