Top 10 greatest inventions of ancient China

By Lin Liyao
0 CommentsPrint E-mail , March 25, 2011
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   Mechanical Clock

 

A sundial is an ancient instrument that measures time by the position of the sun. [haokanbu.com]

A sundial is an ancient instrument that measures time by the position of the sun. [haokanbu.com] 

The mechanical clock is an invention we all use today. According to historical research, the world's first clock was invented by Yi Xing, a Buddhist monk and mathematician of the Tang Dynasty (618-907). Yi's clock operated with water steadily dripping on a wheel that made a full revolution every 24 hours. As time went on, clocks were made with an iron and bronze system of hooks, pins, locks and rods, but still followed Yi Xing's clock design. Hundreds of years later, Su Song, an astronomer and mechanist of the Song Dynasty (960-1279), created a more sophisticated clock, making him the ancestor of the modern clock.

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