Tang Dynasty Inventions

During the period of the Tang Dynasty, from 618 to 907, many inventions were made in the field of medicine, engineering, and the sciences.

Inventions in the Field of Engineering

At that time, an engineer named Yi-Xing invented the world’s first clockwork escapement mechanism, it counts the number of oscillations for timekeeping. This mechanism consists of a clepsydra clock and waterwheel to rotate armillary sphere and connected it to a mechanically timed bell that gets struck every hour. This arrangement is known as the famous Astronomical clock.

Many mechanical inventions were discovered during the Tang era. One of such mechanical device was the invention of Wine server; it was carved out of iron and placed on a lacquered-wooden tortoise frame. This mechanical device consists of a hydraulic pump that draws wine out of a metal headed faucet.

Developments in the Field of Medicine

One of the authors of medicine in the Tang period identified that people who suffer from Diabetes had excessive sugar levels in the urine. Discoveries in treating goiters were made during this period. They found that thyroid glands of sheep and pigs can be successfully used to treat Goiters; the thyroid extracts were not used until 1890 in the west.

The Invention of Gun Powder

During the Tang Dynasty, an alchemist mixed 75 parts of saltpeter, 10 parts of sulfur, and 15 parts of charcoal. This mixture did not contain any life-threatening properties but exploded with a flash when exposed to open flame which hence led to the discovery of gunpowder.

The First Gas cylinders

During Tang dynasty, natural gas was collected through bamboo tubes and transported the gas around dozens of kilometers. These were the first natural gas cylinders known to the world ever.

Air Conditioning

In 747, the emperor had a cool hall that was built in the imperial palace. This cool hall had device known as Tang-Yulin, which had water-powered fan wheels that functioned like air conditioning and also had rising jet streams of mountain water.

Invention of Porcelain

A Chinese alchemist during the Tang Dynasty came up with a cream called porcelain. It was a dust that had bonding and waterproof qualities that made it ideal for use for all types of home.