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 ...

A firearm dating to circa-1540 was recently found in southern Arizona.

In ancient China, although Taoist empirical ... the chief progressive force in society. While inventions and technological discoveries such as gunpowder, paper, printing, the magnetic compass ...