Lesson 13: Technology and Chinese and Foreign Transportation in the Song and

The invention of movable type printing

China invented engraving and printing during the Sui and Tang dynasties, which promoted the development of culture. Liao, Song, Western Xia, Jin period, engraved books were very prevalent, engraving and printing technology further development. However, engraving and printing on the broken cape was labor-intensive and time-consuming, and the engraved plates could only print one kind of book. On the basis of years of exploration, the Song Dynasty printing technology has a new breakthrough, which is the introduction of movable type printing.

The movable type printing technology was invented by Bi Sheng, a craftsman during the Northern Song Dynasty. He engraved the characters with clay and then burned them with fire to harden the mold. When the plate is made, an iron plate surrounded by a frame is sprinkled with turpentine, paraffin and paper ash, etc. The burned characters are lined up on the iron plate to form a plate, and the turpentine in the plate is melted by fire to flatten the character plate, so that the book can be printed. After printing, the turpentine is melted again, the clay characters are disassembled, and then the plates can be laid out again. After that, the skilled craftsmen invented wood type. In the Yuan Dynasty, Wang Zhen, a famous scientist, made a systematic summary and innovation of the wood type technology in his "Nong Shu" and invented the wheel typography. In the middle of the Yuan Dynasty, copper movable type printing was introduced.

In the 13th century, movable type printing was introduced to Korea, then to Japan and Southeast Asia, and to Persia via the Silk Road, and later to Europe through the Mongolian Western Expedition.

Application of compass and gunpowder

Ancient China recognized the properties of magnets as a guide early on. During the Han Dynasty, people used natural magnets to make a guiding tool, called "Sinan". Sinan was shaped like a spoon and placed in a copper square plate with 24 directions engraved around it. Sinan was rotated in the smooth plate, and when it stopped, the handle of the spoon pointed to the south.

In the Song Dynasty, tools for guidance began to be made of artificial magnets. People used a steel needle with magnetism to put on the side of the bowl, or suspended the needle with a thread, and the needle could flexibly point to the south. Later, people placed the magnetic steel needle in a disk with degrees, and the compass was made. At the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, compasses began to be used on Chinese sea ships. Arab merchants on Chinese sea ships spread the compass to Arab countries and later to Europe, which greatly contributed to the development of the world's ocean-going navigation technology.

During the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese had already invented gunpowder. In the Song Dynasty, gunpowder began to be used in the military field. At that time, people mainly used the properties of gunpowder to make explosive weapons or to make tube-shaped firearms. The Song army used firearms in the Song-Jin wars, and the Jin learned to make and use gunpowder weapons from the Song. The Mongols also used a lot of firearms in the wars against the Jin and Song. The Yuan dynasty also used metal as barrels instead of bamboo barrels and invented the fire cannon, which was more powerful than the previous burst firearms.

Chinese gunpowder and pyrotechnics were introduced to the Arab region in the 13th century, and then to Europe by the Arabs in the early 14th century. After the invention of Chinese gunpowder and firearms were introduced to Europe, they had a great influence on the manufacture of firearms and methods of combat in Europe, and promoted the change of European society.

Developed Chinese and foreign transportation

Compared with previous generations, Sino-foreign transportation in the Song and Yuan dynasties had developed greatly. During the Song Dynasty, due to the progress of navigation technology, maritime trade in the south was frequent and sea traffic was developed. After the establishment of the Yuan Dynasty, the scope of land and sea transportation was further expanded, creating a new situation of Sino-foreign transportation.

The famous land Silk Road in ancient times became a major transportation route to the West during the Song and Yuan dynasties. During the Song Dynasty, the post stations were more developed, and the Yuan Dynasty, ruling a vast area, built a land transportation network covering the whole country and established post stations in all directions in order to strengthen the connection with other places. The land routes of the Yuan Dynasty led westward to Persia, Arabia, Russia and other European countries, making it very convenient for ambassadors and merchants to travel between the east and west.

During the Song and Yuan dynasties, shipbuilding and navigation technology had a great development. In addition to using the compass, Chinese navigators also initially mastered the laws of tidal floods, trade winds and weather. At that time, sea transportation was developed and overseas trade was prosperous. The sea route of Song Dynasty formed many routes to Japan, Koryo, Southeast Asia, India, Arabia and other countries and regions, as far as the Persian Gulf and the coast of East Africa. During the Yuan Dynasty, the scope of maritime traffic had expanded even further, and the Maritime Silk Road entered its heyday. During the Song and Yuan dynasties, there were a large number of regular round-trip merchant ships between China and Arabia, Persia and East Africa. During the Song Dynasty, there were fifty to sixty countries and regions with which China had trade relations, reaching more than 140 during the Yuan Dynasty.