四大发明：从中国启航，改变世界
There are four great inventions in Chinese history. What are they? They are the compass, gunpowder, paper, and printing technology. Since ancient times, they have made people’s lives easier around the world with a great many other inventions.
Compass
Before the compass was invented, people had to look at the sun, moon, and stars to look for directions. The ancient Chinese also used magnetic (磁的) rocks to decide north and south. This way was later included in the invention of the compass.
Gunpowder
The Chinese first used gunpowder to make explosives (炸药) used by the military in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period. The Chinese invented cannons (大炮) made of cast iron, cast iron landmines (地雷), and rockets, and gunpowder was used to make bamboo fireworks in the Song Dynasty.
Paper
The first type 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, a eunuch (太监) 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.
Woodblock Printing
During the Tang Dynasty, ancient Chinese people, who made beautiful things by hand, came up with a creative way to largely produce printed works. There came the first type of woodblock printing. It pushed human civilization forward.
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