What are the important scientific and technological achievements of China in ancient times

What are the important scientific and technological achievements of China in ancient times? The four great inventions are not to mention, Chinese people know. Briefly introduce the scientific and technological achievements in various fields other than the four great inventions.

Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period

The Spring and Autumn and Warring States Period was an important stage in China's ancient cultural prosperity. During this period, a large number of thinkers and philosophers held their own views, lobbied around and argued with each other, resulting in the situation of "a hundred schools of thought", which also promoted the development of science.

Agriculture

Agriculture entered a new stage of development during this period, with the widespread use of iron farming tools. Crop rotation began to appear in farming. There were schools of agriculturalists and specialized books on agriculture. During the Warring States period, there were two agricultural books, Shennong and Ye Lao. The oldest surviving book on agriculture is the four treatises "Shangnong", "Rendi", "Dialectical Soil", and "Judging the Time" in the book "Lüshi Chunqiu" (239 B.C.E.). The first treatise discusses the agricultural ideology of the emerging landowning class, and the last three treatises deal with a whole set of agricultural production techniques and principles, from plowing, land preparation, sowing, seedling setting, mid-plowing and weeding, harvesting, as well as not violating the agricultural time. The tradition of intensive farming was formed. These four writings also reflect simple dialectical thinking, noting the dialectical relationship between man-made factors such as plowing and fertilizing and natural factors such as soil and climate.

The embryonic form of the agricultural cultivation method of intensive plowing was formed. Specifically manifested as: deep plowing (the use of iron tools, cattle plowing depth of cultivation), field drains (drainage and stain prevention methods formed), prudent seeding (the concept of equidistant full seedling), easy to hoe (plowing and weeding done quickly and carefully), review the time (adapted to the climatic seasons in order to cultivate)

Crafts

In terms of technology, the bronze smelting and casting technology in the Spring and Autumn and the Warring States period to the highest stage of development. From the middle of the Spring and Autumn period to the Warring States period, bronze smelting and casting had developed from the relatively single ceramic casting in the Western Zhou period to the comprehensive use of a variety of metal processes, creating new shapes and decorations, and reached a new technological height. After the middle of the Warring States period, iron smelting technology was very developed, and there were three major breakthroughs: first, the emergence of pig iron smelting and casting technology. During the Warring States period, agricultural tools and hand tools made of pig iron were widely used. But the early pig iron are white iron, carbon in the form of iron carbide, brittle and easy to break. Second, the emergence of steelmaking technology. Third, the emergence of cast iron softening technology. Molding cast iron devices at high temperatures for the weakening process, can be obtained strength, toughness greatly improved black heart toughness cast iron and white heart toughness cast iron, iron devices to be widely used in the Warring States period.

The end of the Spring and Autumn period, large-scale canal projects began to build, more prevalent in the Warring States period. Famous canal projects include the Zhangshui Twelve Canals, Dujiangyan, Zhengguo Canal, Generali Ditch and Honggou. During this period, the handicraft production technology also made great progress, and the internal division of labor and the standardization of handicraft technology were the prominent features of the development of handicraft industry in this period. The "Kao Gong Ji" is the first collection of technical specifications for handicrafts in China, which provides a complete description of the production process and specifications for vehicles, the material requirements and technical requirements for bows and arrows, and the production of musical instruments and the knowledge of musical sounds.

Medicine

This period saw the initial establishment of China's unique medical theory. Specialized medical works appeared in medicine. The previous Bianqi Neijing and Bianqi exijing have been lost. The earliest preserved medical text is the Huangdi Neijing, which focuses on human anatomy, physiology, pathology, causes of disease, diagnosis, and includes acupuncture, meridians, and health care. The work was written in a question-and-answer format, and is believed to have been written around the time of the Warring States period. The work mainly introduces the concept of wholeness in medicine, which views the human organism as a whole and conforms to the dialectical method. It also used the then-popular doctrines of yin and yang and the five elements to describe physiology, pathology, and the development of disease. It was believed that the relative balance of yin and yang in the human body was a condition for maintaining normal physiological activities, and if this balance was lost, diseases would arise. The liver is attributed to wood, the heart to fire, the spleen to earth, the lungs to gold and the kidneys to water, using the law of the five elements to elucidate the relationship between the various parts of the human body.

I. The Emergence of Professional Doctors and Medical Monographs

During the Spring and Autumn Period, China had already seen the emergence of a team of full-time doctors. Bian Magpie and his disciples Ziyang and Zi Bao were famous professional doctors at that time, and there was also a specialized court medical institution in the state of Qin in the 6th to 5th centuries BC.

At the same time, specialized medical writings also came out one after another, such as Changsangjun's "Book of Forbidden Formulas", "52 Disease Formulas", "Eleven Chakra Moxibustion Scriptures of the Foot and Arm" and "Eleven Chakra Moxibustion Scriptures of the Yin-Yang Chakra", all of them were written in the Spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period. By the time of the Warring States period, the number of medical books was already very considerable, and the Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine was the most famous among them.

Second, the medical foundation of the theoretical system

With the witch, medical diversion and medical research, the Spring and Autumn and Warring States period of medical theory gradually formed. Such as the Spring and Autumn medicine and the yin, yang, wind, rain, darkness, Ming "six qi" disease, Bian magpie remarks involving the "five organs", "stomach and intestines", "blood ", "blood", "blood gas", yin and yang and other physiological concepts, the "Neijing" established the core of the medical theory system of internal organs, meridians and blood, laying the foundation for the development of later generations of medicine.

Astronomical observation techniques

The shift from primitive qualitative descriptions to quantitative research saw the appearance of one of the world's earliest star catalogs, the Shi's Star Catalog.

Knowledge of the five planets . The sessions and periods of several planets were determined. (The conjunction period is the time between two times when a planet is in the same direction as the sun or in the opposite direction to the sun.) Discovered the retrograde phenomenon of Mars and Venus. Gander also discovered the moons of Jupiter with the naked eye. Shih Shen discovered that solar and lunar eclipses are phenomena in which celestial bodies cover each other.

Sky Observations. Records of solar eclipses were recorded about 50 times during this period, and 33 of them were analyzed to be reliable. The earliest record of the Lyrae meteor shower was recorded in the Zuo Zhuan (左传). The earliest record of Halley's Comet was recorded in the Spring and Autumn Annals.

The use of the tetrad calendar. The ability to better determine the seasons and establish a form of calendar that combines yin and yang, giving rise to the independent creation of the 24 solar terms.

Between about 360 and 350 B.C.E., Gande, a native of the State of Chu, and Shishen, a native of the State of Wei, wrote the Astronomical Star Chanting, the world's earliest star catalog.

In terms of technology, the astronomical observation instrument Leaky Cauldron was used to determine the time, and the Gui Watch was used to observe the sun and shadow to determine the seasons.

Mathematics

The Shang Dynasty people already used the decimal system and had tools for drawing circles and right angles. At the end of the Spring and Autumn period, Sun Tzu's "Art of War" contains an account of fractions, and during the Warring States period, "Xunzi. Da Liao" and other books recorded the multiplication table of ninety-nine. The Mojing mentions the concepts of points, lines, surfaces, squares, gardens and even limits and variables in geometry.

The emergence of the chip system.

While combinatorial mathematics is a branch of modern mathematics, its ideas can be traced back to ancient times. The I Ching, which was written during the Spring and Autumn period, contains the germ of combinatorial mathematics.

Natural Philosophy

The Problem of the Origin of the World

Natural Philosophy, as a form of ancient science, achieved glorious results in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period. The philosophy of plain materialism represented by the Mohists and Taoists, as well as Xunzi and Han Fei, had a greater influence on the development of science.

The Eight Trigrams and the Five Elements in the Yin and Zhou periods. Guanzi. Water Pool" said, "What is water, the origin of all things." Laozi put forward the idea that "Tao" is "the origin of all things". The Yin literature school put forward the materialistic theory of essence and qi, which considered "essence" and "qi" to be the origin of the world. Xunzi further developed the doctrine of essence and qi, arguing that all things are composed of a unified material qi. Chinese natural philosophers also addressed the question of whether there is a smallest unit of matter or whether matter can be divided infinitely. Huishi proposed that "the smallest unit of matter has no interior, and is called the smallest one", i.e., the smallest unit of matter has no interior to speak of. There are also those who advocate the infinite division of matter, put forward the proposition that "a foot of flogging, the day to take half of it, the world will never run out".

On the structure of the universe

The theory of the circle of heaven and earth in the pre-Qin period and the theory of the cover of the sky in the Western Zhou period are not in line with the truth of the celestial bodies, and they cannot explain the phenomena of the celestial bodies' operation. The progress than the Gaitian theory is the earth circle theory; the warring states Zhao Shen to advocate "the body of heaven as a projectile"; "Zhuangzi" on the ground does not move the concept of doubt; the end of the warring states LiSi puts forward the concept of "the day line one degree".

Experimental Methods

Murice and his students carried out experiments on the imaging of a small hole for the linear propagation of light, as well as experiments on plane mirrors, concave mirrors, and convex mirrors, to illustrate the relationship between focal length and the imaging of an object.

The Mojing also discusses experimentally the balance of a lever like a scale, noting the relationship between distance and balance earlier than Archimedes.

The Mojing also emphasizes conceptual research and logical reasoning. For a thing now put forward the term, and then defined, and then explained. However, the experimental method at that time was still qualitative research and did not form a rigorous logical system.

The Qin and Han Dynasties to the North and South Dynasties

From the Qin and Han Dynasties through the Three Kingdoms, the Two Jin Dynasties to the North and South Dynasties, this stage is another important period in the development of China's ancient science and technology. During the Qin-Han period, the Qin unified the country, and the unification of writing, weights and measures had an important impact on the development of science and technology. The Han Dynasty inherited the Qin system and further consolidated the feudal system. The unification of the whole country not only promoted the exchange of science and technology but also centralized human and material resources for better scientific and technological research.

During the Three Kingdoms, the Two Jin Dynasties and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the opposing regimes, in order to consolidate their rule, mostly took measures to develop production, which promoted the development of production technology and practical science. The great integration of peoples promoted the exchange and development of science and technology.

Agriculture

Agriculture saw the emergence of a series of agricultural books. Famous ones include the Western Han Dynasty's "Book of Floods" which studied the process of crop cultivation as an organic whole and summarized the farming system in the north of China. The Northern Wei Dynasty JiaSiFo's "QiMinYaoJu" is the earliest and most complete surviving agricultural book in China. The book had a tremendous impact on the development of ancient agronomy, and his appearance marked the formation of a practical scientific system of agriculture in China.

Crafts

In terms of technology, iron smelting technology and porcelain making technology were more mature, and lacquer craft was developed. There appeared a series of steel technology invention, mainly cast iron decarburized steel, frying steel, hundred refining steel, steel filling and other technologies. After more than 1,000 years of primitive porcelain from the Shang and Zhou periods, real porcelain appeared in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Porcelain is evolved from green ware, early are celadon North and South Dynasties period appeared white porcelain. Qin and Han dynasties of lacquer craft development is very fast, the process has many steps, and technical facilities and organization and management are very perfect and strict.

After the Qin unified China, the famous navigable canal Lingqu was excavated. Agricultural irrigation projects, flourished during the period of Emperor Wu of Han Dynasty. The large-scale ones include the Longshou Canal, the Six Auxiliary Canal and the White Canal. The Longshou Canal passed through large mountains using a tunneling scheme and invented the well canal construction method. The Six Auxiliary Canal mainly irrigated areas that could not be irrigated by the Zhengguo Canal.

Medicine

China's unique medical system was formed and developed rapidly during this period. From the Warring States period to the Three Kingdoms was the period of the formation of the Chinese medical system. The Yellow Emperor's Classic of Internal Medicine is a symbol of the beginning of the formation of the theoretical theories of Chinese medicine. During this period, there appeared medical works represented by Zhang Zhongjing's Treatise on Miscellaneous Diseases of Typhoid Fever, and there also appeared pharmacological works represented by Shennong's Classic of the Materia Medica. The Treatise on Miscellaneous Diseases of Typhoid Fever put forward the principles of dialectical treatment, including rationale, method, prescription, medicine, and so on, combining medical theory with medical practice. During the period of the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty, and the Northern and Southern Dynasties, a large number of works on medicine appeared, especially on pulse, acupuncture, herbal medicine, and prescription, such as Wang Shuhe's Pulse Meridian, Huangfu Qui's Acupuncture and Moxibustion A and B Meridian, Tao Hongjing's Shennong's Classic of Herbal Medicine, Ge Hong's Post-Elbow Formula, etc. The system of medicine in China has been perfected. The system of medicine in China has been perfected.

The Han Dynasty also saw the emergence of many famous doctors, such as: Zhang Zhongjing, Chun Yuyi, Hua Tuo and so on. Chun Yu Yi dialectic pulse, treatment of disease has been effective. Hua Tuo was good at internal, external, gynecological, pediatrics, and various disciplines, especially the achievements of surgery are very famous.

Astronomical observation technology

The development of astronomy was another important achievement of this period. Zhang Heng, a famous astronomer of the Eastern Han Dynasty, explained the theory of Hun-Tian and created the Hun-Tian meter and the Geomancy meter, which correctly explained the cause of the lunar eclipse. In terms of calendar, a unique calendar system was formed. The Tai Chu Calendar compiled by the Western Han Dynasty set a model for later calendars, while the Daming Calendar compiled during the Northern and Southern Dynasties introduced the concept of the difference in years into the calendar for the first time. It played an important role in the accuracy of the projections of the degree of the Sun's location and of the festivals; Yu Xi of the Eastern Jin Dynasty was the first to discover the age difference, which is the response of the Moon and the Sun to the vibration of the equatorial bulge of the Earth's axis of the Earth's reaction to the progression of the part of the Earth's equatorial bulge.

In terms of technology, improvements were made in the production of astronomical instruments on the kui-watches and funnels, which were more accurate.

Mathematics

Mathematics also made brilliant achievements during this period. Ten books on arithmetic appeared in this period, the most important of which was the Nine Chapters of Arithmetic, which marked the formation of the ancient Chinese mathematical system, and also spread to Korea and Japan, where it had a great influence on the development of their ancient mathematics as well. The Zhou Thigh Algorithm includes calculations applying the collinear theorem to measurements, and also uses rather elaborate fractional algorithms and methods of opening and leveling.

This period also saw the emergence of mathematicians such as Liu Hui and Zu Chongzhi. Liu Hui theorized all the problems of the Nine Chapters of the Mathematical Art, and invented the "Circle Cutting Art," which created an ancient way of calculating the circumference of a circle. One of Zu Chongzhi's greatest achievements in mathematics was the calculation of pi.

From this, we can see that the ancient mathematics of China was mainly based on calculation, and the idea of logical argumentation was not enough.

Chemistry and Geomancy

The development of chemistry began in the form of alchemy. Alchemists realized that material change is a universal law in nature. At the same time, they accumulated some experience and knowledge about inorganic substances that could be synthesized and decomposed into other substances during their long-term alchemical activities, writing a page of early human chemical activities.

In geography, the maps drawn in the early years of the Western Han Dynasty give us a glimpse of the precision, technology, and shape of the maps drawn at that time, and provide valuable information for the study of ancient maps.

The compilation of geographic works, the Eastern Han Dynasty, the first geographic work named "geography" appeared, is the "Book of Han. Geography", the book is a product of the centralized political requirements of the feudal monarchy, which includes both natural geographic knowledge, but also includes the content of human geography, creating a unique mode of geography in ancient China.

The period of the Three Kingdoms, the Jin Dynasty and the Northern and Southern Dynasties also saw the emergence of geographic works specializing in waterways. The "Water Classic" and "Water Classic Notes", which record the ins and outs of waterways as the main content, can reflect a certain natural geography, has a relatively high geographic value, and has become an important part of China's ancient geographic works.

Sui-Tang to Yuan Dynasty

After forming its own unique style and system, the science and technology of ancient China reached its peak during the Tang and Song Dynasties, becoming a more glorious chapter in the history of science and technology. The Tang Dynasty reached the heyday of feudal society in terms of economy and culture, and the Song Dynasty made great development in science and technology. In short, China was a world leader in both technology and science. The society from the Sui Dynasty to the Yuan Dynasty was generally stable, though turbulent, and agriculture achieved better development. Scientific and technological exchanges between the various ethnic groups within the country and between China and foreign countries intensified.

Agriculture

Improvements in agricultural tools: During the Sui and Tang dynasties, iron plows drawn by oxen were already in use, irrigation tools were already common in the Tang dynasty, and the keeled waterwheels of Ma Jun were popularized.

The emergence of agricultural books:

Lu Yu's Tea Scripture during the Sui and Tang dynasties was the earliest tea monograph in China and the earliest in the world.

The Song Dynasty's "Chen Jiao Nongshu" is China's earliest specialized in summarizing the cultivation of paddy fields in the south of the Yangtze River in a small, comprehensive book on agriculture.

The Yuan Dynasty "Wang Zhen agricultural book" is a vivid description of the development of agricultural machinery.

The Song Dynasty's "Chen Jie Nongshu" is a monograph on the technology of southern rice cultivation, Song and Yuan Dynasties various plant genealogical records have appeared, such as the "Orange Record", "Litchi Spectrum", "Chrysanthemum Spectrum" and so on, appeared on the topic of the akimic species, birds and fish papers.

In terms of technology, agricultural technology and water conservancy engineering has been unprecedented development, the improvement of agricultural technology is mainly reflected in the improvement of agricultural tools, the Sui and Tang dynasties, the southern arable land is widely used in the improvement of straight ploughs curved ploughs, paddy field cultivation technology has also been improved.

Water conservancy engineering, the excavation of the Grand Canal for north-south navigation. Feudal society is mainly agricultural, agricultural water conservancy in this period is the most developed, for example, the sea ponds in Zhejiang Province has become an effective facility to resist the tidal wave.

During this period, China's science and technology were gradually introduced to foreign countries.

Medicine

Medical administrative institutions were already more complete during this period. The medical education system of the Tang Dynasty should also have been quite sound. During the Northern Song Dynasty, a specialized medical education institution, the "Bureau of Imperial Medicine" was established . Some medical facilities with charitable nature were also established. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, there was the "Treatise on the Origin and Condition of All Diseases" compiled by Chao Yuanfang. The government of the Song Dynasty also organized the compilation and revision of materia medica and formulae, and finally repaired the Kaibao Materia Medica (开宝本草). During the Jin and Yuan Dynasties, Chinese medicine developed to a new stage, forming the medical doctrines of the Four Great Masters. Nestle Yuanfang's "the source of all diseases marquis theory", the king of medicine Sun Simiao that "human life is important, there are expensive thousands of gold, a party to help the virtue of more than this", so his own two works are crowned with the word "gold" two words, the name of the "thousand gold to be square" and "thousands of gold wing square".

Specialties of Chinese medicine: from the Tang Dynasty's four sections to the Song Dynasty's nine sections, and increased to 11 sections in the Yuan Dynasty.

Medical administration and medical education in the Sui and Tang dynasties

The Sui and Tang governments established the "Department of Imperial Physicians" and the "Shang Pharmaceutical Bureau". The Northern Song Dynasty established the "Bureau of Imperial Medicine", divided into nine sections, the Yuan Dynasty, divided into 13 sections. Song and Yuan dynasties set up medical school, three-year examination, and pass the examination can be conducted, after admission can be appointed medical officer.

Sui-Tang period: "the origin of all diseases," "Tang Materia Medica" is the world's first national pharmacopoeia. Kaiyuan Guangji Fang, Zhenyuan Jiyao Guangli Fang.

Song Dynasty: Kai Bao Ben Cao, Jia You Ben Cao, Tu Jing Ben Cao, Zhen Ci Ben Cao, Taiping Sheng Hui Shu, Sheng Hui Xuan Fang.

Astronomy

Astronomy, the peak of the development of the calendar, the Huangji calendar, the Danyan calendar were formed in this period, the Song dynasty calendar is mainly reflected in a series of astronomical constants to improve the accuracy. The Yuan Dynasty's calendar of the ordination of time pushed China's ancient calendar to a new climax.

Mathematics

Mathematics, to the Song and Yuan Dynasties reached its peak, especially in the second half of the 13th century appeared Qin Jiusao, Li Ye, Yang Hui, Zhu Shijie and other four mathematicians. Qin Jiushao's Nine Chapters of Mathematics achieved excellence in both the numerical solution of higher equations and the solution of one congruent equation. Li Ye set the precedent of solving geometric problems by algebraic methods. Yang Hui developed practical mathematics in close connection with the social needs of his time, and proposed concise algorithms for various problems. Zhu Shijie's "The Enlightenment of Arithmetic" is an enlightening textbook that starts from the elementary knowledge.

Geomatics

The development of geomatics knowledge during the Tang and Song dynasties was reflected in the development of maps that became more and more detailed, with rulers organizing the compilation of maps. At the same time, from the Tang Dynasty to the Song and Yuan Dynasties, the transportation between China and foreign countries was developed and exchanges were frequent, and many works on geography outside the country appeared. At the same time, there was also a new understanding of land and sea changes, tidal ebb and flow, address minerals.

After the Song Dynasty, there was a comprehensive study of various practical sciences, and Shen Kuo's Mengxi Bianan was known as the coordinates in the history of Chinese science.

Science and technology in the Ming and Qing Dynasties

This period was the end of the development of science and technology in ancient China, feudal society entered the end of the period, the intensification of various contradictions, the germ of capitalism was developed, the Western science and technology into our country, and the conservatism of the feudal class did not have a positive effect on the development of science and technology in China.

At the same time, the land annexation was serious, the class struggle was sharp, and the development of science and technology was slow, but at the same time there was a development of handicraft production.

Agriculture

Traditional agriculture faced a crisis, and the introduction of new crops from overseas and the advancement of the "one year, several harvests" technique were the main features of agriculture in this period. There was a proliferation of agricultural works. There are regional agricultural books, important "Shen's agricultural book" and "know this outline". Crop cultivation of agricultural books such as "rice products" and "taro by" farm management of specialized books such as "complementary agricultural book" and "agricultural book". Agricultural books for saving the land such as "Save the Land". In addition to the locusts of specialized books such as "locusts Ko".

Xu Guangqi's "agricultural policy book" is a collection of China's ancient agricultural science of the academic work, collected agricultural policy and agricultural technology in all aspects of knowledge. Song Yingxing's Tian Gong Kai Wu is one of the most valuable encyclopedias on handicrafts and agriculture. It was important for agriculture and handicrafts and was also introduced abroad.

Medicine

Li Shizhen's Materia Medica is a monograph of world academic standing, which provides a detailed record of medicines and was introduced to Japan. Li Shizhen ****completed the 52-volume Ben Cao Gang Mu, and in this monumental work ****described 1,892 kinds of medicines, with 11,096 prescriptions attached to the book. The book vividly describes the forms of medicinal organisms, their places of origin, methods of collection and cultivation, and also accurately discusses the distillation method and its history, as well as the uses of mercury, iodine, and kaolin clay in medical treatment, correcting some of the mistakes made by the predecessors, and making a significant contribution to the world of both medicine and biology. Zhao Xuemin's Gleanings from the Materia Medica is one of the better books on materia medica after the Materia Medica. Botanical Names and Facts is a monograph of relatively high scientific value, which is the forerunner of modern botanical records. In addition, Chinese medicine also has a new development, in internal medicine, the formation and development of the doctrine of warm disease, is an important achievement of the Ming and Qing dynasties. In surgical medicine, there appeared Chen Shigong's Surgery Zhengzong.

In medical technology, the Ming and Qing generations of medical doctors in clinical practice, in-depth study of infectious diseases and other febrile illnesses, characteristics and preventive measures, summed up the stomach, gas, tube, blood and triple jiao identification of the treatment of medical theory, the formation of the doctrine of warm diseases. Another achievement was the invention of the human pox inoculation method.

Geography

Xu Xiake's Xu Xiake's Travels recorded the geographical knowledge gained through observing the landscape, and he spent almost his whole life and went through hardships to conduct fieldwork in various parts of his country. He recorded in the form of a travelogue the geographical knowledge he gained by examining mountains and observing water, especially the results of his investigations about dissolved rocks and river channels. He gives a good account of the climate due to differences in altitude and latitude and its effect on the ecology and distribution of plants and animals.

Architecture, metallurgy, and shipbuilding

Architectural techniques were generally improved, and during the Qing and Ming dynasties, traditional Chinese building techniques reached their peak. The construction of palaces in the north and south of the capital, garden architecture, and the construction of the Great Wall of China better reflect China's architectural technology

Metallurgical technology is also in the world's leading position in mining, the Ming Dynasty has adopted the "fire" method. In the Ming Dynasty invented the coking method, and improved the blast preparation, increased the temperature of the smelting furnace, and can make the furnace larger, so that the quality of metallurgical production and yield have relatively large improvements. China is also the earliest country to use fire to smelt zinc.

The Ming Dynasty is known as the era of Chinese navigators, the early Ming Dynasty China in navigation technology continues to maintain the world's advanced level. Zheng He went to the West China Sea with a large ship is generally known as the "treasure ship" the largest length of 44 feet 4 feet, 18 feet wide, 12 sails.