Chapter 11

Industrialization and Technological Progress

image

A model of a Chinese ladle-and-bowl type compass used for geomancy in the Han dynasty (202 BC–220 AD).

Source: http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh/File:Antic_Chinese_Compass.jpg

The Four Great Inventions (papermaking, gunpowder, movable-type printing, and the compass) are celebrated in Chinese culture for their historical significance and serve as symbols of China’s advanced science and technology. These four discoveries had an enormous impact on the development of Chinese civilization and also had a far-ranging global impact. For example, paper was introduced in China in the second century AD, came ...

Get Understanding the Chinese Economies now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.