Which Ancient Chinese Invention Are You?

Seems like you have a bit of fiery personality, and you're going to have a big impact on the world! Commonly attributed to the alchemists of ancient China, the formula for ignition powder quickly became the strategic military resource we know today. But it played a cultural role as well, used to spray fire in performances, create fireworks and brighten daily life.

You may be a firecracker, but you're obviously set for big things!

Can't stop from taking notes or bullet journaling? That was all made possible by a papermaking process pioneered in China! While the ancient Egyptians used papyrus, Chinese were at the forefront of developing paper and the printed word. In 105 AD, Ts'ai Lun introduced a new paper-making process using silk and wood pulp. This led to other Chinese inventions: the first woodblock printing press in 593 AD and the first printed newspaper in Beijing in 700 AD.

Sometimes you just have to take notes.

Looks like you can't stand being late, so you get points for punctuality! The invention of the mechanical clock is one of the greatest of the medieval world. Yi Xing, a Buddhist monk, made the world's first model of a mechanical clock in 725AD. Using dripping water to power a wheel turning at the same relative rotational speed of the Earth, clocks were also used to observe the stars. The first clock was only made possible by early iron and bronze working – another Chinese innovation!

Some parties are just better with a little extra kick. Traditionally, Arabian beer-makers are credited with the first alcohol, but recent discovery of 9,000-year-old pottery shards in the Henan province indicate the presence of brewed alcohol – 1,000 years ahead of the Arabian peninsula! Known as Jui in China, alcohol in moderation is considered a spiritual food which plays an important role in religious life.

Whether you like to party or are seeking inner peace, a little alcohol can help.

You've got a magnetic personality, and you're clearly going places! The earliest Chinese compasses used naturally magnetic lodestone, not for navigation, but to harmonize environments and homes through the geometric principles of feng shui. Hundreds of years later, Zhu Yu's 1102 book "Pingzhou Table Talks" gives the earliest record of a magnetized needle for navigation. The compass greatly improved the safety of sea travel.

You're refined, elegant, and probably pretty smooth when dating. Congratulations! First produced 4,000 years ago, silk was one of the most important economic resources of the medieval and Renaissance worlds. Silk fabric and fibers were used in all sorts of applications, particularly fashion. To harvest it, Chinese inventors made the first spinning wheel – a textile machine which Italian merchants brought back to Europe in the 14th century.

You're ready to defend your friends, and that takes guts! Also sometimes being stronger than anyone who comes your way. Archaeological records show that Chinese inventors pioneered many metal working discoveries, from bronze to the creation of steel. The first iron smelting dates back to the Zhou Dynasty (1050 BC- 256 BC), and the famous metallurgist Qiwu Huaiwen of the Northern Wei Dynasty invented the process to use cast iron to create steel between 386-557 AD.

Hygiene is important, and not much feels better than a freshly cleaned mouth, and you can thank Chinese inventors for the bristle toothbrush. Invented in 1498, the first bristle toothbrushes used stiff hair from boar attached to bamboo handles. Boar bristles were used until 1938, when the first modern toothbrushes introduced nylon brushes.