One. compass
People invented the method of artificial magnetizing iron needles, made compasses and began to be applied to navigation. During the Southern Song Dynasty, the compass was widely used in navigation and spread to Arabia at the same time. At the beginning of the 13th century, the compass was introduced to Europe, and the application of the compass in navigation contributed to Columbus's voyage to discover the New World of america and Magellan's voyage around the world, which greatly accelerated the process of world economic development.
Two. Papermaking
China is the first country in the world to raise silkworms and weave silk. During the Western Han Dynasty, working people in China were able to make paper. During the Eastern Han Dynasty, Cai Lun summed up the experience of his predecessors and improved papermaking. Caihou paper has a profound influence on the development of the world paper industry and the spread of human culture, and its basic process has been used to this day.
Three. gunpowder
Gunpowder was invented during the Tang Dynasty of China and was first used in the military. At the beginning of the 10th century, at the end of the Tang Dynasty, artillery and rockets appeared. Firearms were widely used in warfare during the Song Dynasty, and the world's first gunpowder rocket appeared. Later, he invented muskets and guns, which are the "ancestors" of modern guns.
The invention of gunpowder greatly promoted the process of historical development and was one of the important pillars of the European Renaissance, and black powder weapons gradually replaced cold weapons.
Four. Printing
China was the first country in the world to invent printing.
After the spread of printing to Europe, it changed the situation that only monks could read and receive higher education, and provided important material conditions for the rapid development of European science from the long dark night of the Middle Ages and the emergence of the Renaissance movement.