The Development of Science, Technology, and Society in China

China is considered one of the major contributors to science and technology. The country
is quite independent in the development of Western Science that became a controversy about its
roots. Going back to the early years of the Ming Dynasty, the country is said to be a world leader
in science and technology. Their inventions and discoveries give rise to the economic
development of other countries. In addition, it is one of the largest producers of scientific papers
because its research and development expenditure has been rising over the years. These
contributions helped society in their everyday living such as at work, communication, health, etc.
In this part, the researchers will discuss some of the contributions of the country in the
development of science and technology.
China started to contribute to the modern world ever since ancient China. Most of their
contribution was inventions, innovations, and scientific discoveries. They are most known for
their four great inventions which are paper making, printing, gunpowder, and the compass. Aside
from these, there are many more contributions China had given to the modern world. Some of
the oldest contributions of Ancient Chinese were traditional medicine, acupuncture, and herbal
medicine practice. According to some scientists, there were pieces of evidence that practices
similar to acupuncture were used in Eurasia during the Shang dynasty.
Xia dynasty was founded by Yu the Great and is considered the first Chinese dynasty.
According to Chao-Fong (2021), this dynasty is known for the development of flood control
techniques that helped control the flooding in the Yellow River. Although there’s a lack of
documented evidence, most of them are farmers who invented bronze casting but still use stone
and bone as their everyday tools. Zia dynasty also developed agricultural practices particularly,
the irrigation process. Lastly, they’ve contributed by developing a calendar that is considered as
the origin of the traditional Chinese calendar.
Under the Shang dynasty, a simple vertical pole was invented to measure the length of
the sun’s shadow by day to determine the solstices and transits of stars by night to observe the
revolution of the sidereal year called sundial or shadow clock that was replaced by clepsydra or
water clocks of Zhang Heng to drive mechanism illustrating astronomical phenomena during
Han dynasty. During spring and autumn and the warring states of the Zhou dynasty is the
development of technology in agriculture and handicraft enhanced the economic activities and
made crucial the means of calculation. Thus counting rod was invented and used even after the
invention of the abacus as an abacus was fits mentioned in the supplementary notes on the Art of
Figures under the Han dynasty and rose to prominence under the Yuan dynasty until it become a
household instrument in the Ming dynasty. Also, under the Zhou dynasty, the first bridge
recorded in Chinese history is a boat bridge that is ordered by King Wen of the Zhou dynasty.
The dynasty which marked the beginning of the Chinese Empire, the Qin dynasty.
Although it is one of the shortest dynasties in Chinese history that last for almost 15 years only,
it doesn’t change the fact that it is one of the most important. According to Anirudh (2017), the
unification of China for the first time in its history in 221 BC is a well-known accomplishment of
this dynasty. It is known for building expansive infrastructure that includes the Great Wall, the
famous Terracotta Army, Dujiangyan Irrigation System, and the Lingqu Canal. Most
importantly, the standardization of the Chinese writing system was made. It is the most
influential achievement in this dynasty made possible by the prime minister, Li Si of the Qin
dynasty. Before it, local styles of characters already evolved and it is called “Scripts of the Six
States”. Then Li Si, under Qin Shi Huang, standardized the Chinese language by furthering it as
Small Seam Script, the standard. The Small Seal Script was itself standardized through the
removal of variant forms within it. This standardized Chinese writing system; made it uniform
across the whole country; and had a unification effect on the Chinese culture for thousands of
years (Anirudh, 2017).
The Han dynasty is known for its achievements, which included the development of the
civil service and government structure, and scientific advancements such as the first water-
powered rotating armillary sphere and the first seismological detector called the Houfeng Didong
Yi, and the use of water clocks and sundials to measure time called clepsydra by Zhang Heng,
the South Pointing Chariot, a complex device that acted as a mechanical compass vehicle of the
mechanical engineer named Ma Jun, and paper-making. It is also when the first stone bridge was
recorded and the first Chinese civilization to succeed in exploring aviation, inventing kites and
kong ming lantern, the first flying machines.
The Jin dynasty conquered eastern wu and united the country. Some many prominent
writers and scholars were executed during the civil wars, but they were able to write many
volumes of literature and poetry that still exist today. Ge Hong, an alchemist, recorded in his
book “Book of the Master of the Preservations of Solidarity” the chemical reaction of saltpeter,
pine resin, and charcoal when heated together. Another Chinese book about gunpowder entitled
“Classified Essentials of the Mysterious Tao of the True origin of Things” indicates that
gunpowder was a product of Daoist alchemical efforts to develop an elixir of immortality.
The Tang dynasty is contemplated as a golden age of Chinese arts and culture. It is
known for great innovation with scientific accomplishments such as matches, dry docks, double-
action piston pump, cast iron, iron-plough, horse collar, multi-tube seed drill, wheelbarrow,
sluice gate, and pound lock. It is also when printing and gunpowder were invented that are two
of the four greatest contributions of china in the modern world. Book printing was also
developed, using delicate hand-carved wooden blocks to print pages.
The Song dynasty is noted as a great artistic achievement. Emperor Taizu, the first
emperor of the Song dynasty focuses on the reunification of china to ensure that his successor
had the foundation to build the most successful dynasties. He makes efforts in leading the
military and scholar-officials in the government.
There were many famous inventors and early scientists like statesman Shen Kuo is best
known for his book Dream pool Essays and his theory for the land formation and climate change
in geological region in an enormous period, equally talented statesman Su song who is known for
his engineering project Astronomical Clock tower of Kaifeng and compiled the Ben Cao Tu Jing
with a team of scholars, and Bi Sheng who invented the ceramic movable printing in 990-1051
that was enhanced by the wooden Movable-type of Wang Zhen in 1298 and bronze metal
movable type of Hua Sui in 1490.
The Yuan dynasty was the first foreign-lead dynasty in ancient china ruled by Kublai
Khan. It is the biggest part of the Mongol empire. Chinese astronomers were among the first to
record observation of a supernova, making the crab nebula the first astronomical object
recognized connected to the supernova explosion. Arabic and Chinese astronomers intermingled
under Mongol rule of the Yuan dynasty. Muslim astronomers worked in the Chinese
astronomical bureau, while Chinese astronomers worked at the Persian Maragha observatory.
Ming dynasty, which succeeded the Yuan dynasty, became one of the most stable
dynasties but also one of the most autocratic Chinese dynasties. The Great Wall of China seen
today is the result of grand-scale reconstruction for 100 years of the Ming dynasty. it is one of
the greatest achievements in the development of architecture from the Han to the Qing dynasty.
Ming Dynasty Huo long jing written by Jiao Yu was one of the most important military
treatises as it outlined the use of fire arrows, and rockets, fire lances, and firearms mines, and
cannons along with different compositions of gunpowder such as magic gunpowder, poisonous
gunpowder, and blinding and burning gunpowder.
China had contributed a lot of inventions, innovations, and scientific discoveries that are
very significant to today’s generation. However, it has been a subject of debate among historians
on why china didn’t develop a Chinese revolution and why it fell behind Europe. It is because
the Chinese are a religious country that relies upon their beliefs in religious and philosophical
beliefs. According to Joseph Needham, “It was the religious and philosophical beliefs of Chinese
that made them unable to believe in the ideas of the law of nature” that most scholars agreed on.
Nonetheless, china had still contributed great changes that help ease the life of people in the
modern world and it will continue like this as china has become more interested in the global
economy, and their government gives more emphasis to science and technology.
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