From the 15th century, Western countries gradually entered the Age of Exploration, driving majestic freighters, driving on the four oceans, rampaging everywhere, plundering wantonly, bringing deep disasters to China.
The reason why they were able to run around is because of the ancient invention - the compass. Marx once said: "These three great inventions of ancient China heralded the arrival of capitalist society - the compass, gunpowder and printing." It was these three inventions that promoted the birth of Western capitalist society, which is why it is said that China was originally the "true ancestor" of Western capitalist countries.
It was with the help of the compass that Western pirates could travel unimpeded, go wherever they wanted, plunder wealth everywhere, establish colonies, and lay the foundation for their primitive capital accumulation.
The compass, known as Si Nan in ancient times, is a magnetic needle, which can rotate spontaneously through the gravitational action of the earth's magnetic field, and always keep the south pole of the magnetic needle pointing to the south pole of the earth. Therefore, this feature can be used to identify directions.
As one of the four great inventions of ancient China, the compass played an inestimable role in the scientific progress and civilization development of mankind, and in ancient China, the compass was mainly used for sacrificial purposes, rituals, military and divination during orientation.
Around the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, the compass was transmitted by the Arabs to Europe, and its true power began to appear. As soon as it reached Europe, the compass played a huge role in saving the countries bordering the Mediterranean, because these countries mainly depended on offshore trade for their livelihoods, and the arrival of the compass brought the overseas trade of the Mediterranean countries back to life and flourished.
As the compass continued to spread westward, the West's deep-sea shipping technology achieved breakthrough development, which greatly promoted the development of Western economy, and gradually gave birth to new commercial and transportation organizations such as ship operators' associations and merchants, and the Western seafaring trade class was born.
In modern times, China has repeatedly suffered from aggression by Western powers, who have constantly encroached on China's land and economic market with their strong ships and cannons, and constantly forced the Qing government to sign a series of humiliating treaties such as the Treaty of Nanjing and the Treaty of Beijing.
The reason why the Western powers are so unstoppable is because of the guns and cannons in their hands, and the invention of guns is naturally inseparable from gunpowder, one of China's four great inventions.
According to the records of "Fan Zi Jiran", gunpowder was already used for folk applications in the Spring and Autumn Period, and by the eighth and ninth centuries, people already knew that "sulfur, androgenite combined with saltpeter, and honey burning" would occur "flames, burning hands and burning houses". At the end of the Tang Dynasty, gunpowder began to be used in the military, and in the first year of Emperor Tianyou of Tang Zhaozong, Yang Xingmi besieged Yuzhang, and with the fire of his subordinates, he set fire to Longshamen, and led soldiers to land on fire into the city. The flying fire mentioned here is artillery and the like. In the Song Dynasty, wars were frequent, and the development of gunpowder weapons was further accelerated.
In the 12th and 13th centuries, gunpowder was first introduced to Arab countries, then to Greece, and then to all parts of Europe. Until the middle of the fourteenth century, there were no records of the use of gunpowder weapons in England, France, etc.
In the late Qing Dynasty, Britain imported opium to China, but Lin Zexu and others resolutely opposed, Britain used Humen gunsmoke as an excuse to send an expeditionary force to attack China, relying on its strong ships and guns, the Qing government frequently cut land reparations, and the former small state eventually became the number one enemy of the Great Qing. During the two Opium Wars, Britain plundered more than 400 million taels of silver from China.
In addition to the plunder of China, Britain and other Western countries also established colonies in North America, which became a dumping market for British industrial products and a raw material supply base. The English aristocracy and the capitalist class gained a huge capital accumulation here.
China is the place where printing was invented, and printing technology from other countries was either imported from China or developed under the influence of China. Later, movable type printing was introduced to Europe through Persia and Egypt. The spread of printing to Europe greatly promoted the process of social development in Europe.
With the accumulation of capital in Western countries, Western capitalism has basically taken shape, and banknotes and stocks as tools used by the bourgeoisie can also be realized through printing technology, so that the formation elements of capitalist society have been completed.
To sum up, we can draw a shocking conclusion that the real origin of the Western bourgeoisie is China's three major inventions, without which they may not have entered capitalist society, so it can be said that China is their true ancestor!