Chinese Technology, Science, and Medicine

Vocabulary flashcards covering key concepts, figures, processes, and inventions in ancient Chinese science and technology.

Joseph Needham

A physician and scholar of the history of Chinese science and technology who devoted much of his life to studying ancient and pre-modern Chinese science and technology.

Science and Civilization in China

A series of books written by Dr. Joseph Needham devoted to the history of scientific thought, science, and technology in China.

The Four Great Inventions of Ancient China

Papermaking, the compass, gunpowder, and printing.

Moveable Type

A printing technology developed in China around 1040 CE where single words or letters were carved into blocks and assembled to form a page of writing for repeating the printing of words.

Mulberry Tree

A rare tree found in East Asia where silkworms live, grow, and are harvested.

Paper Making

An ancient process carried out in three steps: selecting, separating, and washing raw materials; cooking and stirring the fibres; and pounding, separating, and drying the paper fibres in a mould.

Block Printing

A printing technique developed in China using carved wooden blocks to repeat the printing of words, individual letters, and seals onto paper, silk, or other materials.

Ceramic Pottery

An ancient technology in which artisans retrieved clay from the Earth, mixed it with water, shaped it on a wheel, painted and glazed it, and heated it at high temperatures in a furnace to produce a strong pot.

Kiln

A required tool of the pottery trade used to heat ceramics, which has moved from gas to electric over the past 100 years.

Silk Reeling Machine

A traditional Chinese machine used to unwind long fibres from silkworm cocoons, operated by rotating a main reel using a crank and pulley.

Spindle

A device first developed by the Chinese for home weaving and later used for industrial production of silk.