Chinese Science and Technology

Many scientific developments and technological advancements emerged in China, hundreds or even thousands of years earlier than in Europe. Some Chinese inventions have been improved on, and are still in use today.This exhibit area attempts to trace Chinese scientific and technological achievements through the use of relics and historical records. Such achievements include the Chao Chou Bridge, which has stood for a thousand years. This bridge was built with a segmental arch, a method widely adopted by contemporary engineers. In addition, the watertight compartment, currently used in modern shipbuilding all over the world, can be traced back to the Chou Dynasty, when junks were built to travel the waterways. Towards the end of the Han Dynasty, the Chinese invented an apparatus for astronomical observations. By the Tang Dynasty (618 to 907 AD), a water-powered clock was already in use. In the Northern Sung Dynasty, the Chinese developed a tower, which was the combination of a waterpowered clock, a celestial globe and an armillary sphere. This was one of the most important scientific and technological achievements. High quality, exquisite lacquer ware was in extensive use from the Warring States Period (475 to 221 BC) to the Han Dynasty. Relics excavated from the Mawuangdui tombs and evidence of lacquerware used by the Ho-Mu-Tu culture 7,000 years ago, point to China’s glorious past of scientific and technological advancements.