Hello One and All!
Chinese inventions like the movable type and paper would play a massive part in disseminating knowledge throughout the world. There are other Chinese inventions that are less well known, but which were also inventive and ingenious.
South-Pointing Chariot
A massive chariot with 30 soldier drivers guiding it, and oddly enough, a statue pointing south no matter where it moves. How did this work? Before setting off the statue was turned to face south. It used differential gears that calculated the relative distance of each wheel and thus rotated the pointer accordingly, which kept it pointing south. It was the first use of a differential ever. There are legends of the invention dating back to 3000 BC, but the first well documented one was created by Ma Jun (c. 200-265 AD) in China-that is 800 years before the first navigational use of a magnetic compass.
The chariot only worked on even surfaces, like an official road, because the accuracy of the mechanisms could be compromised by bumpy surfaces. The great size was maybe an effort to keep it stable. The invention was used to intimidate at ceremonies and for navigation; there are tales of it helping armies navigate in dense fog or at night. It was so popular that it was exported to Japan, where versions were built for the Emperor in the 7th and 8th century AD. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) an odometer was added to the chariot as well, to measure the distance traveled.
Wooden Ox
Zhuge Liang, the famous Chinese general, had in the 3rd century AD the problem of how to transport supplies over rough and mountainous terrain relatively quickly and with ease. What he came up with was a bizarre looking contraption that looked like a see-saw, with a large wheel right under the load. This design meant that a soldier could travel at least 6 miles with a load of up to 550 pounds over undulating terrain without a beast of burden. This is the first use of the invention that would later be known as the wheelbarrow. This “secret weapon” allowed Zhuge Liang to travel and win battles without his supply lines being stretched and popularized the wheel barrow.
Different designs and variations were soon produced in China. “Gliding horse” ones had handles at the front and were pulled, like a rickshaw. Other advanced designs had mini sails, a little land ship, which amazed Dutch visitors to the country in the 18th century AD. Some later designs were so large that they could hold several passengers easily.
Thank you for reading!
Chinese inventions like the movable type and paper would play a massive part in disseminating knowledge throughout the world. There are other Chinese inventions that are less well known, but which were also inventive and ingenious.
South-Pointing Chariot
A massive chariot with 30 soldier drivers guiding it, and oddly enough, a statue pointing south no matter where it moves. How did this work? Before setting off the statue was turned to face south. It used differential gears that calculated the relative distance of each wheel and thus rotated the pointer accordingly, which kept it pointing south. It was the first use of a differential ever. There are legends of the invention dating back to 3000 BC, but the first well documented one was created by Ma Jun (c. 200-265 AD) in China-that is 800 years before the first navigational use of a magnetic compass.
The chariot only worked on even surfaces, like an official road, because the accuracy of the mechanisms could be compromised by bumpy surfaces. The great size was maybe an effort to keep it stable. The invention was used to intimidate at ceremonies and for navigation; there are tales of it helping armies navigate in dense fog or at night. It was so popular that it was exported to Japan, where versions were built for the Emperor in the 7th and 8th century AD. During the Song Dynasty (960-1279 AD) an odometer was added to the chariot as well, to measure the distance traveled.
Wooden Ox
Zhuge Liang, the famous Chinese general, had in the 3rd century AD the problem of how to transport supplies over rough and mountainous terrain relatively quickly and with ease. What he came up with was a bizarre looking contraption that looked like a see-saw, with a large wheel right under the load. This design meant that a soldier could travel at least 6 miles with a load of up to 550 pounds over undulating terrain without a beast of burden. This is the first use of the invention that would later be known as the wheelbarrow. This “secret weapon” allowed Zhuge Liang to travel and win battles without his supply lines being stretched and popularized the wheel barrow.
Different designs and variations were soon produced in China. “Gliding horse” ones had handles at the front and were pulled, like a rickshaw. Other advanced designs had mini sails, a little land ship, which amazed Dutch visitors to the country in the 18th century AD. Some later designs were so large that they could hold several passengers easily.
Thank you for reading!
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