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I think the tech culture was started by Chinese. The first aircraft was a kite flew in China thousands of years ago. China also started the helicopter theory for last few thousand years. The first helicopter was a toy like object with blades spinning floating in air. Europeans haven't really studied these and adopted these Chinese toys until last few centuries.
Maybe China has been slacked for last few centuries, but they have dominated technologies and sciences for thousands and thousands of years. Probably 70% of things we take grant today were from ancient China. Chinese invented complex machinery (around Tang Dynasty), explosive, math, alcoholic drinks, farming techniques, porcelains, legal system, metallurgy, monetary system, banking, magnetism, trigger mechanism (crossbows), magnetism, printing, massive production and probably 70% of all others. All these have spread to the West through Arab trading and Mongolian invasions.
European has not been surpassed China until the last few centuries. Probably Europeans have adopted China inventions and innovated them to what they are today.
I understand what you are saying, but the point is that China *did* "slack" as you put it over the last few centuries, and the last couple centuries have seen the biggest technological jumps in human history.
As China continues to modernize, it will innovate more. You have to catch up before you can surpass, and this is so.etibg that the forces behind china's growth and modernization realize. Its not enough to fall back on historical successes for all time. A Chinese guy saying China is #1 because they invented gunpowder is no different from an American saying the US is #1 because we put a man on the moon.
I think the tech culture was started by Chinese. The first aircraft was a kite flew in China thousands of years ago. China also started the helicopter theory for last few thousand years. The first helicopter was a toy like object with blades spinning floating in air. Europeans haven't really studied these and adopted these Chinese toys until last few centuries.
Maybe China has been slacked for last few centuries, but they have dominated technologies and sciences for thousands and thousands of years. Probably 70% of things we take grant today were from ancient China. Chinese invented complex machinery (around Tang Dynasty), explosive, math, alcoholic drinks, farming techniques, porcelains, legal system, metallurgy, monetary system, banking, magnetism, trigger mechanism (crossbows), magnetism, printing, massive production and probably 70% of all others. All these have spread to the West through Arab trading and Mongolian invasions.
European has not been surpassed China until the last few centuries. Probably Europeans have adopted China inventions and innovated them to what they are today.
Well, depends on what qualifies as tech. In terms of stable, sedentary civilizations, it's more accurate to say that the middle eastern region started tech culture earliest and spread from there while there were also independent developments in other regions of the world (such as in China). There were many, many ideas, materials, and technologies that had spread into East Asia from other parts of the world prior to just the last few centuries. And while many of the things you mentioned did independently developed within East Asia, many of those also independently developed in other places prior, contemporaneously or afterwards. Also, the categories you listed are extremely broad and it would be inaccurate to list them as solely Chinese inventions.
I think this view of including only China and Europe is incredibly narrow. What is more accurate is that connected, but independent cultures throughout Eurasia and North Africa (with China being one of the cultural contributors) constantly exchanged ideas, materials and technologies with some connection to Sub-Saharan Africa and then there was another very large exchange that happened after European colonization of the Americas. I believe your view is a lot more due to the current economic and political clout and dominance of Chinese, European and European-derived cultures which is blinding you to the historically prominent and important advancements made throughout other regions of the world. This is especially true when you are counting important primary advances made prior to written historical records.
I think the tech culture was started by Chinese. The first aircraft was a kite flew in China thousands of years ago. China also started the helicopter theory for last few thousand years. The first helicopter was a toy like object with blades spinning floating in air. Europeans haven't really studied these and adopted these Chinese toys until last few centuries.
Maybe China has been slacked for last few centuries, but they have dominated technologies and sciences for thousands and thousands of years. Probably 70% of things we take grant today were from ancient China. Chinese invented complex machinery (around Tang Dynasty), explosive, math, alcoholic drinks, farming techniques, porcelains, legal system, metallurgy, monetary system, banking, magnetism, trigger mechanism (crossbows), magnetism, printing, massive production and probably 70% of all others. All these have spread to the West through Arab trading and Mongolian invasions.
European has not been surpassed China until the last few centuries. Probably Europeans have adopted China inventions and innovated them to what they are today.
You consider a kite as aircraft?
I don't know, when I think of technology, China is not a country I think of. I usually think of the United States and I think of Japan, and I don't think of much else.
The other things you mention...and maybe I don't know the origin. But these are the places I think of...
Math...I think of the Arabic world...(don't know if it's accurate, but I think of it).
Farming techniques? I think this was simultaneous throughout the world, wasn't it?
Legal systems? I usually think of Greeks or Romans...
Printing? I think of Europe and the printing presses.
Massive Production...I think of Europe and the Industrial Revolution.
EXPLOSIVES is probably the main one I think of as China as originating. But, it was really perfected in Europe.
I don't know, when I think of technology, China is not a country I think of. I usually think of the United States and I think of Japan, and I don't think of much else.
The other things you mention...and maybe I don't know the origin. But these are the places I think of...
Math...I think of the Arabic world...(don't know if it's accurate, but I think of it).
Farming techniques? I think this was simultaneous throughout the world, wasn't it?
Legal systems? I usually think of Greeks or Romans...
Printing? I think of Europe and the printing presses.
Massive Production...I think of Europe and the Industrial Revolution.
EXPLOSIVES is probably the main one I think of as China as originating. But, it was really perfected in Europe.
I think in terms of the history of technology and science, China is really prominent and I believe from his post that's what he's pointing towards. It really was only in the last few centuries where it stagnated. US and Japan are for the most part fairly new as major technological contributors.
I think China's largest contributions to farming are domestication of certain creatures, the invention of the wheelbarrow, grafting (which to me seems insane to have come up with in the first place) and wet
Math, in terms of the basic principles that evolved into the current study of mathematics, would be probably be the Indian subcontinent, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. China's history of mathematics evolved somewhat separately, but there was undoubtedly some measure of exchange among all of these.
Printing was actually invented in China first as well as papermaking.
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