| In this hi-tech world, we take for granted the | | | | the German Johannes Gutenberg's invention, the |
| material things that have influenced our present state | | | | mechanical printing press with metal movable types in |
| of civilization, and we tend to assume that they are | | | | around 1439. Such was a towering achievement that |
| all products of the West. But not a few of these | | | | Time-Life magazine picked Gutenberg's invention as |
| things came first as inventions from the East by the | | | | the most important of the second millennium. |
| ancient Chinese. | | | | Many weapons that we know today were invented |
| One example is printing. The Chinese produced the | | | | by the ancient Chinese. Of course these inventions |
| first printed book in 868. Bi Sheng invented printing | | | | were relatively crude compared to their modern, |
| using movable types made of clay in 1041-1048. | | | | hi-tech versions, but it was the Chinese who invented |
| These facts are overshadowed by the success of | | | | them and actually applied them in warfare. |