Ancient Chinese Contributions - Essay Example

Ancient Inventions by the Chinese: Functions and Roles of these Technologies Ancient China had invented many and varied technologies. For the modernmind, this is a bit surprising. Technologies of today are usually invented or developed by the West. The productions of papers, books, cloths, televisions, computers, and even high-power guns are done from the Western World. Conversely, it is interesting to learn how ingenious and innovative the ancient Chinese were. Of the numerous technologies, I will only identify ten of the most ingenious and innovative inventions ever invented in China.

The categories for selecting these ten inventions are the technology’s function and role in the lives of the people. Afterward, I will pick the one technology made in China that I cannot live without. The following are the useful technologies invented by the ancient Chinese people: paper, movable type printing, gunpowder, silk, magnetic compass, wheelbarrow (Challen, 2005, p. 29), porcelain (Deng, 2010, p. 4), clock, water pump, and earthquake weathercock (Pelt & Matthews, 2010, p. 37). It is truly surprising to know that the Chinese people in the past were the first people who invented the paper, printing press, gunpowder, and compass.

To my mind, these four technologies are the most ingenious and innovative inventions of all. The reasons why the four technologies are the most ingenious are twofold: (1) function and (2) role in the society. First, the functions of these inventions are noteworthy. The paper, on the one hand, functioned as a material in which stories, narratives, myths, and events salient in the Chinese people were written or recorded on it. The primary function of the paper for the early Chinese was the preservation of their thoughts, culture, tradition, and way of life.

In our modern time, paper is very useful in many respects. Its function in the corporate world, for example, is enormous; business reports are usually written and printed on papers. The movable type printing, on the other hand, functioned as an alternative method of writing in the preservation of ideas and practices of the ancient Chinese. The paper and the printing press were (and are) dependent to each other. The paper provided the surface material in which printing -- or reproduction through printing -- could be done.

Finally, the roles in the society of the technologies invented by the early Chinese are fascinating. For one, the magnetic compass directed the Chinese fishermen or mariner to where they want to go. The role of such invention was important for the ancient Chinese society for the reason that it facilitated the fishermen and sea travellers to go to their expected destination with ease and accuracy. In today’s world, compass is still relevant to the mariners. Yes, present-day compass is more advanced; nevertheless, its usage remains universal.

Another thing, the gunpowder made China a very powerful nation all over the ancient globe. The role of such technology was gigantic; it placed the Chinese military a very strong force against its technologically ill-advanced adversaries. In the modern period, “gunpowder” defines the strength and power of a nation. Besides the societal and military roles of these inventions, the four chosen technologies made by the early Chinese had other essential roles: cultural. Paper is the technology -- which the ancient Chinese originally invented -- that I cannot live without.

Such invention is very dear to me. Papers have many uses. A paper could be utilized as a material for publishing a book. Book is what I love; and reading is my life. In the absence of papers, books will go extinct. (How terrible would life be without books and papers!) A paper could be used as surface material for writing one’s thoughts and feelings. To write is like to breathe the air everyday. In writing I am able to express my deepest thoughts and sentiments to particular thing, person, or situation.

And the paper provides the medium onto which one can jot down his or her ideas and ideals. (Imagine life without papers! There could be no idea at all!) True, software technologies are prevalent in our modern world. E-books are ever present and “papers” in the Word Processing Document are available and plenty. But I still love the smell of a new paper, and how I love to touch its smooth two-dimensional plane. By and large, the technologies invented by the ancient Chinese are very useful even in our present time.

The function and role of these technologies make the inventions very remarkable. It is really a surprise to know that it was the Chinese who invented the gunpowder among other things. And I love the Chinese for inventing the paper. References Challen, Paul. (2005). Life in ancient China. New York, NY: Crabtree Publishing. Deng, Y. (2010). Ancient Chinese inventions. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. Pelt, T., & Matthews, R. (2010). Ancient Chinese civilization. New York, NY: Rosen Publishing.