Inventions of China

China’s history of invention is arguably the longest, most continuous, and most consequential of those of the great world civilizations. Examining this history compels us to account for commodities and technologies, such as paper-making and printing, without which our experience of the contemporary world would be drastically altered and dramatically impoverished. Without this inventiveness, our knowledge of many processes in chemical reaction today regarded as normative, such as gunpowder fission, and of the numerous indispensable staples they produce, such as porcelain, would either be far less developed than for as long as it has been or would vanish altogether. This course surveys the specific advances of Chinese science, medicine, and technology and frames their lasting contributions in global world perspective.We will throughout consider these advances in China in comparison or in contrast to those similarly made in the West. (Counts for HSMT credit.)