History of science and technology in China

Ancient Chinese scientists and engineers made significant scientific innovations, findings and technological advances across various scientific disciplines including the natural sciences, engineering, medicine, military technology, mathematics, geology and astronomy.

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History of science and technology in China
List of discoveries List of inventions the Four Great Inventions
By subject Agriculture sericulture Alchemy Architecture classic gardens bridges Astronomy Calendar Cartography Ceramics Coinage Mathematics Units of measurement Traditional medicine herbology Metallurgy Military navy Printing Silk industry Transport navigation
By era Neolithic and early Bronze Age Han Tang Song Yuan People's Republic agriculture space
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Part of a series on the
History of China
Timeline Dynasties Historiography
Prehistoric Paleolithic Neolithic (c. 8500 – c. 2000 BC) Yellow, Yangtze, and Liao civilization
Ancient Xia (c. 2070 – c. 1600 BC) Shang (c. 1600 – c. 1046 BC) Zhou (c. 1046 – c. 256 BC) Western Zhou (1046–771 BC) Eastern Zhou (771–256 BC) Spring and Autumn (c. 770 – c. 476 BC) Warring States (475–221 BC)
Imperial
Modern Republic of China (mainland, 1912–1949)
Related articles Art history Economic history Education history Legal history Jewish history LGBT history Media history Music history Timeline Military history Naval history Science and technology history Archaeology Cartography Discoveries Inventions Transport history Women's history
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Among the earliest inventions were the binary code, and one of the earliest examples of genetic sequencing,[1][2] abacus, the sundial, and the Kongming lantern.^{[citation needed]} The Four Great Inventions,the compass, gunpowder, papermaking, and printing – were among the most important technological advances, only known to Europe by the end of the Middle Ages 1000 years later. The Tang dynasty (AD 618–906) in particular was a time of great innovation.^{[citation needed]} A good deal of exchange occurred between Western and Chinese discoveries up to the Qing dynasty.

The Jesuit China missions of the 16th and 17th centuries introduced Western science and astronomy, while undergoing its own scientific revolution, at the same time bringing Chinese knowledge of technology back to Europe.[3][4] In the 19th and 20th centuries the introduction of Western technology was a major factor in the modernization of China. Much of the early Western work in the history of science in China was done by Joseph Needham and his Chinese partner, Lu Gwei-djen.