The invention of gunpowder was no doubt one of the ... and thence to Europe. China's four great ancient inventions made tremendous contributions to the world's economy and the culture of mankind.

We'll begin with arguably the most famous ancient Chinese invention. Legend has it that gunpowder was accidentally discovered by alchemists looking for a concoction that would create immortality ...

all came from China—in additional to papermaking, printing, and gunpowder. This information has been compiled by the work of Joseph Needham and his colleagues in a study of ancient Chinese books on ...

All of the important chemical substances needed to make gunpowder—saltpeter (KNO 3), sulfur and carbon—were found in ancient China. The Chinese used saltpeter as a food flavoring, in curing meat and ...