The Four Great Inventions of the Song Dynasty

During the Tang and Song Dynasties the Chinese worked hard at developing sciences that would benefit the administration, the military, and the economy. Notable achievements included the development of paper, the compass, a suspension bridge, and movable type printing.

Before movable type, block printing was labor intensive and prone to mistakes. This innovation led to widespread education and economic growth.

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Armillary Sphere

Astronomy is one of the oldest branches of science, and a number of tools were developed to aid in its study. The armillary sphere is among them. It is an instrument reproducing a model of the celestial sphere and has been known since antiquity. Its name is derived from the Latin word “armilla,” meaning bracelet or ring. Early spheres were made of wood, but later they were constructed of brass. The brass spheres were better able to withstand weather and other elements. This type of astronomical model was used by both ancient Greek and medieval European astronomers, including the famous Galileo.

It is possible to use an armillary sphere to determine the exact position of a star at any time, given its current latitude and longitude. The instrument consists of a series of intersecting rings representing the poles, equator, ecliptic and meridians. The astronomer could read the celestial coordinates by looking at the rings and reading their positions from his or her position in the frame. The instrument was also used to calculate dates and times of sunrise or sunset on any day of the year.

The earliest armillary spheres were developed in Ancient Greece. They were called astrolabos, or krikote sphaira “ringed sphere.” The Greek astronomer Hipparchus credited Eratosthenes (c. 190 – c. 120 BC) as the inventor, but the invention may have been much earlier.

In 1088, Song astronomer Su Song included an armillary sphere in his water-driven astronomical clock tower. The device exhibited the differences between Ptolemaic and Copernican astronomy systems, as well as showing the effects of the Earth’s rotation on its celestial sphere.

The Song Dynasty saw many other scientific discoveries and technological inventions, such as metallurgy, botany, pharmacology, mineralogy, zoology and other fields. In addition to these, Song physicians conducted researches on various diseases and their causes, recognizing the impact of psychological factors and cosmic influences on human health.

Though Song science made significant strides, limitations in the society’s political structure, economic system and cultural ideology prevented it from moving towards industrialization. For more details on this issue, you can check out British biochemist Joseph Needham’s book “The Needham Question.” He offers an excellent analysis of the reasons for Chinese stagnation.

Mariner’s Compass

As the Song Dynasty saw the growth of trade between China and foreign lands, a reliable navigation instrument became very necessary. The mariner’s compass (zhenpan zhen pan) was thus developed. It consists of a bowl with a brass ring on the bottom and thirty-two silk threads running around it, each carrying a little needle soldered to its base. The needle points in the direction of the pole star, which serves as a guide to the horizon. The compass can also be used when the weather is clear by simply referring to the sun or the north-south axis of the earth.

The principle of this instrument has been attributed to Chinese scientists as early as the eleventh century. However, a complete mariner’s compass was not perfected until the sixteenth century.

When the compass is merely placed on a table and a magnet brought near it, it lags behind its true position of magnetic equilibrium by a few degrees due to the effect of rolling of the ship. The degree of lag increases with the length of time that the compass card is subjected to this rolling action.

During the Song period shipbuilding had reached a high level, especially in southern China. Water-proof bulkhead chambers called “water-proof compartments” (shuimi gecang ) were built in the body of ships, making them steadier in sea-ways than they could be if they had to depend on ribs and a keel.

The Song period also saw the development of elaborate spinning wheels and looms. These were the forerunners of the modern Jacquard machines. Song period physicians were already beginning to undertake experiments with human corpses, in order to discover the causes of diseases. However, cosmic influences were still thought to be the cause of most illnesses. In addition, pulse diagnostics was a very important procedure in clinical medicine. Moreover, Song period physicians were familiar with the principles of physiology and anatomy. They were also aware of the importance of hygiene in preventing disease. The Song period was also the period when several medical books were first written. Some examples include the “Ancient Medical Classics” and the “Complete Collection of Medical Texts”. The Medical Classics was a book that contained detailed information about the causes and treatment of various diseases.

Moveable Type

Prior to the Song Dynasty, printing was a laborious process. Words or shapes were carved on a block and used to stamp onto paper, and a new block had to be carved each time a page was printed. In 1040 AD, the Chinese inventor Bi Sheng came up with a much more efficient and accessible system of printing called “movable type.” He figured out that individual characters could be made into small pieces and then placed together like tiles on an iron frame. These blocks could then be arranged to print letters, words and even whole books.

Bi Sheng’s invention revolutionized the way information was disseminated and allowed for a greater diversity of literature to be published. His system also made it cheaper and easier to produce texts, and as a result, private libraries began to sprout up among the wealthy in China. Wooden movable type is still being used today to compile and print clan genealogies in Rui’an County, Zhejiang Province.

The invention of movable type greatly increased the amount of textual information available, and also helped spur on scientific discoveries and technological advances. The compass, armillary sphere and other devices created during the Song Dynasty served to improve navigation techniques and the quality of agricultural products.

In addition, the Song Dynasty also saw a surge in mathematical research and development. One of their most famous mathematicians was Shen Kuo, who wrote the first ever mathematical treatise in China—the Mengxi Bitan ()—that was not only a survey of classical mathematics but also included the earliest method for solving equations.

Another mathematical discovery was a method of computing by multiples and fractions that would later be called the decimal point. This calculation method was a great improvement over the previous use of a counting rod, which was prone to error and had to be constantly adjusted. The decimal point is a very important and useful tool for today’s computer systems. The invention of the decimal point was another example of how the Song Dynasty promoted scientific progress.

Agricultural Engineering

The Song Dynasty was an extraordinary time for scientific discovery and technological invention. In fact, many people compare it to the Western Renaissance for the plenitude of discoveries made at this time that substantially improved human welfare.

The most important of the Song Dynasty’s inventions was movable type. This essentially revolutionized writing by making it possible to produce books in huge numbers. Without this, literature would have never developed as quickly as it did.

There were several significant agricultural engineering innovations in the Song period, including a plow with eleven parts that allowed flexibility in furrow depth and the invention of a human-operated waterwheel for irrigation. These were the beginnings of what is now known as agritechnology.

Other important developments included the use of a system of water-barrier dams for flood control, and the development of a more refined silk cloth with thin warp threads and crude weft threads (kesi). This silk was used for painting and embroidery.

In the realm of astronomy, Song astronomers had constructed extensive star maps and complex astronomical instruments. Five armillary spheres were cast in one century. A mechanically driven astronomical clock tower was erected in the capital city of Kaifeng, which employed the escapement mechanism two centuries before it was introduced to Europe in the form of Gutenberg’s Bible printing press.

The Song Dynasty had a large, thriving economy. Large cities had grown to monumental size, and many of them were home to millions of people. The Song’s booming economy was made possible by a number of significant advancements in civil engineering, nautics, and metallurgy. It was also helped by paper money, which made it easier to track and tax transactions.

In addition, the massive trade with foreign nations allowed for the production of porcelain as a replacement for bronze. Porcelain had many advantages over bronze, including no corrosion, light weight, and beauty.

The Song’s metallurgy was advanced, with blast furnaces capable of producing enormous amounts of iron. It was this metallurgy that enabled the Song to successfully compete in foreign trade with the Liao, Jin, and Qianlong dynasties that followed.