Reels tagged #china
Swipe up
Inventions
Paper was a state secret for 600 years
Cai Lun refined papermaking in China around 105 AD. The method stayed inside Asia until captured papermakers reportedly revealed it in Samarkand in 751 AD.
Inventions
Gunpowder was invented while hunting for immortality
Chinese alchemists mixing saltpetre, sulphur and charcoal were trying to brew an elixir of eternal life. They got explosives instead.
7 Wonders
The Great Wall is more than 21,000 kilometres long
A 2012 survey counted all branches and eras of construction at 21,196 km. It is not one continuous wall but many walls built by different dynasties over 2,000 years.
Countries
China built the world's largest high-speed rail network
More than 45,000 kilometres of high-speed track link its cities, with trains cruising at 350 km/h, longer than every other country's high-speed network put together.