Flow Chart of Hoary Papermaking

Silky Scarf

Bronze Ware in Shang Dynasty

Porcelain of Official Kiln in Song Dynasty

"Qianjiang Evening News" 31/07/2008 Chinese hoary Top 4 Invents have been well known domestic and abroad. If one tells you that Compass, Papermaking Skill, Powder and Typography can't represent completely toppest level in Chinese hoary science and technology at all. How do you think it on earth?

Recently, the exhibition named "Miracle of Nature's Engineering-Cultural Relic Exhibition of Chinese Hoary Invents and Creations" is showed at new museum of CSTM after preparation more than 1 year.

The large-scaled exhibition is hosted jointly by SACH and CAFST. It mainly exposes top 4 cultural relics, or Silk, Bronze, Papermaking and Printing and China, to show Chinese hoary great invents and creations. Once it appears, great popularity is followed.

Yesterday (30/07/2008, Wed.), major hatcher born the part of Silk, or Vice-curator of China Silk Museum, Mr. Feng ZHAO came back to Hangzhou. He told reporter that former Top 4 Chinese Invents no longer fully represent the highest level in Chinese hoary science and tech. This exhibition, however, exposes grouply new "Top 4 Invents"in the first time.

Per what Mr. ZHAO introduced, so-called new top 4 Chinese invents are opposited to the exotic ones. Arond 400 years ago, British philosopher, Francis Bacon pointed out that "the 3 invents of Printing, Powder and Compass have already changed stuffs' whole appearances and conditions within the scope of the world".

Churchman to China and Sinologist, Joseph Edkins, added firstly Papermaking Skill to the above-mentioned top 3 invents. He pointed out while comparing Japan with China that "we must remember forever that they (referring to Japan) don't have such similar kind of superexcellent invents as Prining Skill, Papermaking, Compass and Powder". 

Once the traditional Top 4 Invents were proposed, there were scholars bringing new viewpoints forward. Dr. Joseph Needham (1900-1995), world famous historian on science and technology, ever enumerated 26 Chinese skills introduced to the western. He thought Chinese important invention techniques were far more than the 4 top invents. 

Feng ZHAO introduced, Silk was one of important creations and invents in Chinese ancientry. Compared with other creations and invents, it featured four characters which were the earliest appearance, the widest application, the farest spreading and the toppest technique. It appeared in the Neolithic Period, as centuries-old as Chinese civilization; It produced enough cloth and quilts and serviced for the world; It spreaded abroad and the Silk Road became the routeway of communication between the Eastern and the Western; It contained the toppest tech with profuse points of invent and creation. In the exhibition, Silk part stressed to unfurl 6 invention patents standing first in the history of world weaving. 1) Domestication of family-fed silkworm from wild one: This was an extremely significant invent in the history of biology. In human being's history, there were only two kinds of domesticated inspects, silkworm and bee. 2) Invention of treadle loom (Ta Ban Zhi Ji in Chinese): From then on, "Ji" in Chinese constituted not only the general name of Ji Xie (machine in English) and Ji Qi (machinery in English), but also the smart and wise words, like Ji Zhi (tactful in English), Ji Min (sharp-witted in English), Ji Ling (clever in English) and so on. 3) A full set of system of fabric structure: Just thanks to its design, all kinds of  silk species were formed, i.e. Ling (damask silk in English), Luo (bengaline in English), Chou (silk in English), Duan (satin in English), Jin (brocade in English) and so forth. 4) Jacquard (also figured) program controlled cycle of pattern: It was a most supernatural part in silk knitted technology. Paper mould with holes was developed after the ornament plaited by the kind of thread was intorduced into Europe. Furthermore, it influenced the inventions of telegraph and calculating machine in early stage. 5) Jia Xie (in Chinese): This kind of colourful resist printing tech was been circulating till now, which was invented in Xuanzong (a Chinese emperor in Tang Dynasty named Longji LI) period of Tang Dynasty. 6) Chain-stitch: Although it was only a kind of handcraft skill, it developed a school Chinese owned in the forest of embroidery art in the world.

He added that Printing and Papermaking Skill were closely related with Silk. The earliest Printing Skill was formed in Han Dynasty and finished on the silk frabric. It was, however, printed on the paper till Tang Dynasty. In addition, the earliest paper was a kind of lamina constituted by silk flock. Subsequently, it was mixed with other vegetable fibres. Then, it finally became the paper to be written with some intensity.

At present, Mr. ZHAO is taking part in "the Compass Project", which is a key program of scientific research listed into "Cultural Development Planning Outline during National 'Eleventh Five-Year Plan' Period" and of culture connected to "Exploring the Origin of Chinese Civilization". Through the project, experts will study how many creations and invents in Chinese ancientry on earth. The exhibition could be esteemed a rehearsal of the project. (Source: Zhejiang Online website-Qianjiang Evening News Author: Journalist Yi JIN)