The story of fireworks introduced into the box is based on Meng Yuanshen's Tokyo Dream, which takes place in Kaifeng, the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty. According to the book, there were hundreds of acrobatics in Kaifeng at that time. Soldiers dressed up in various shapes, armed with weapons and shields, danced in pairs. "Suddenly there was a bolt from the blue. That was an explosion. Then the wild card player retired, and the fireworks were big. ..... or fireworks were set off on the spot, and there was another explosion. The music department moved slowly to Yue Bai, with its face painted green and wearing a golden eye mask ... while the other exploded, with a long beard and a mask, wrapped in green boots like Zhong Kui. " The amusement scene described here in the Song Dynasty more than 1000 years ago is quite close to Halloween in the west, and people wear masks. It can be noted that setting off fireworks was very popular at that time. Pan Jixing, a historian of science and technology in China, believes that these fireworks are made of solid gunpowder. The ancient rocket weapon drawn from the lead-in box in this lesson was used by Jin Jun in Kaifeng in 1232, and it was the big rocket "flying musket" at that time. This picture is taken from the historical draft of China's rocket technology.
The invention of movable type printing
In the middle of Northern Song Dynasty, about 104 1- 1048, Bi Sheng invented movable type printing. Bi Sheng's life story is not recorded in history. Only Shen Kuo mentioned that Bi Sheng was "cloth" when introducing movable type printing in Meng Qian Bi Tan, which means that Bi Sheng is an ordinary people and has never been an official. The following is a record of Bi Sheng's invention of movable type printing in Meng Qian's Bitan Skills: "In Li Qing (104 1- 1048), there is a Bi Sheng in cloth, which is also a trap. Its method uses clay to carve words, as thin as money lips, and each word is printed, which is hardened by fire. First, an iron plate is set, and resin, wax and paper dust are exposed on the iron plate. If you want to print, put an iron plate on the iron plate and print it closely. If the iron fan is a plate, it will melt with it. If the medicine melts slightly, press it with a flat plate and the words will be as flat as a rock. It is not easy to stop printing three or two books; If you print hundreds of thousands of copies, it will be very fast. I often make two iron plates, one printed and the other printed by myself. Only when this printer is finished, the second edition is already available, which is more interoperable and can be used instantly. Each word has several seals; Such as' Zhi' and' Ye', each word has more than 20 copies in case there is repetition on one board. If you don't use it, stick it on paper, one for each rhyme, and store it in the wooden lattice. Those who are unprepared to send words can be done in an instant by spinning them and burning them with grass. If wood is not used as material, the wood texture is dense, but it is uneven when wet, so it is not suitable for sticking medicine. If you don't burn the soil, you can melt the medicine after use, and then brush it with your hand, and its seal will fall off and won't be contaminated. Rise to death. Is it printed for the group or a treasure? " Bi Sheng's invention was not taken seriously at that time. Such a great inventor has no trace in history except that Shen Kuo recorded his name. After Bi Sheng's death, a part of clay type invented by him was obtained by later generations in Shen Kuo, which attracted Shen Kuo's attention and recorded the invention. Movable type printing technology in the Central Plains was later spread to Ningxia, Xinjiang and other places, and Xixia and Uighur also used movable type printing. The movable type painting of Xixia Wenmu unearthed in Ningxia 199 1 is the earliest existing movable type painting in China, which was carved in1160 ~12005.
Movable type printing later spread all over the world.
About13rd century, Chinese movable type printing was introduced to the Korean peninsula. Metal movable type printing began to be used at the end of Korea dynasty, and it developed greatly in Li dynasty. It was not until16th century that movable type printing began to exist in Japan, which was handed down from Korea after Japan invaded Korea in Renchen (1592). At that time, Japan brought back tens of thousands of copper movable types and typewriters from North Korea, and from then on, Japan had a movable type printing plate. Movable type printing spread to Viet Nam in China in the 9th century. China's movable type printing spread to Europe in the15th century, and gradually spread to Europe from Xinjiang along Central Asia and West Asia. From 1450 to 1455, Johannes Gutenberg printed the first set of Latin grammar in Europe with metal movable type. Mr. Pan Jixing, an expert in the history of science and technology in China, pointed out: "The era when Johannes Gutenberg completed his movable type experiment was a climax of the spread and further development of China printing in Europe. In the era of Johannes Gutenberg, we can still see the technical influence of China. " (History of China Paper-making and Printing Science and Technology).
The invention of the compass
During the Warring States period, our people have discovered the characteristics of magnets pointing north and south, and created "Sina". "Guiguzi Mou" records that Zheng people went out to collect jade, so as not to get lost, they took Sina away; The Doctrine of the Mean records that "Wang Li and Sina should seize the day first" and use Sina to determine the exact time. These explanations showed that Sina had been applied in many aspects at that time. However, Sina has not been widely used for a long time because it is made of natural magnets, which has weak magnetism, large friction between Sina and the chassis when rotating, and poor guiding effect. In the early Northern Song Dynasty, people discovered the artificial magnetization method, and made a compass by rubbing a steel needle with a natural magnet. There are about four ways to install the compass in Shen Kuo's Meng Qian Bi Tan Magazine I: floating the magnetic needle across the wick on the water, putting the magnetic needle on the edge of the bowl, putting the magnetic needle on the nail and hanging it in the air with wisps of silk thread. The sensitivity of wisp suspension method is the highest. Its specific installation method is to glue one end of the wire to the waist of the magnetic needle with wax, and hang the other end on the wooden frame. A disk marked with orientation is placed under the needle, and the stationary hour hand points north and south. This hanging compass basically establishes the structure of modern compass. Later, people learned to fix the compass in the azimuth plate and made a compass needle. At that time, the compass was still a water compass, that is, the magnetic needle floated across the wick on the water. The water compass was widely used in the Southern Song Dynasty. As for the drought compass, China did not appear until the Jiajing period of the Ming Dynasty (1522- 1566).
Gunpowder was invented by an alchemist in ancient China.
In the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Tao Hongjing, an alchemist in China, mentioned the burning of "removing stones" (that is, saltpetre) in Notes on Materia Medica: "If it is burned by fire, purple smoke will rise and clouds will remove stones." Pan Jixing, a historian of science and technology, said: "Because saltpeter and sulfur can be used as medicine, the hot mixture of saltpeter, sulfur and carbon is called gunpowder." Written in the 9th century AD, China's Taoist alchemy book "A Brief Introduction to Zhenyuan Miaodao" also recorded the burning of gunpowder: "Some people burned it with sulfur, realgar mixed with saltpeter and honey, and the fire burned hands, faces and houses."
Gunpowder is used in the military.
The importance of gunpowder is manifested in military applications. The application of gunpowder weapons began in the late Tang Dynasty. In the late Tang and Northern Song Dynasties, rockets were loaded with burning materials made of gunpowder next to their arrows, which were ignited and then fired with bows at enemy camps, burning them, ordnance and personnel. Artillery used trebuchets to throw explosives made of gunpowder into the distance, and the explosives were mixed with iron pieces or toxic drugs to kill the enemy. Tubular firearms appeared in the Southern Song Dynasty. According to Military Records of the Song Dynasty, during the Kaiyuan period of Song Lizong (1259), soldiers who were guarding Shouchun (now Shouxian County, Anhui Province) invented muskets. "With giant bamboo as a barrel, burn An Zi's nest (kē), and then the flame goes out, such as gunfire, which is far away. Bullets are primitive bullets, and flash guns are the earliest tubular firearms in the world. Its invention greatly improved the accuracy of firearms shooting. In the early years of the Yuan Dynasty, large tubular firearms made of copper or iron appeared, which were collectively called "weapons".
8 gold j with thunderbolt.
1April, 232, Mongolian Khan Wokuotai ordered General Subutai to lead an army and besieged Jindu capital Kaifeng with lighters and trebuchets. Jin Shoujiang ordered his men to use firearms "earth-shattering" and "flying muskets" to resist, and the two sides launched a fierce battle for six days and nights, with heavy casualties. The Jin people finally held the capital. "History of Jin" recorded the war situation at that time, saying: "Those who guard the city in the name of' shocking the sky and thunder' have iron cans filled with medicine. When they are ignited by fire, the guns will burn and make a thunderous sound. You can hear it hundreds of miles away, and more than half an acre is surrounded. Fire is full of armor ..... There are flying muskets, injecting drugs and using fire. After burning for more than ten steps, people dare not enter. Mongolian soldiers are only afraid of these two things. "
Compasses and gunpowder were introduced to Europe.
After the invention of the compass, our people first applied it to navigation. During the Southern Song Dynasty, Arab merchants and Persian merchants often used China ships for trade and learned to use compasses. They introduced the compass to Europe again. The application of compass promoted navigation in Europe.
In the Southern Song Dynasty, gunpowder spread to Arabia; Mongolia traveled westward and firearms also spread to Arabia. Europeans were Spanish at the earliest, and gunpowder was not known until13rd century through the works of Arabs. /kloc-At the beginning of the 4th century, Arab countries used gunpowder and firearms when attacking Spain, so Europeans began to contact gunpowder and firearms and learned how to make them. 1326, Britain began to make iron fire bottles, 1338, France began to make iron cans filled with gunpowder, which is the earliest record of the application of gunpowder and firearms in Europe.
Shen Kuo
Shen Kuo (1031-1095) was born in Qiantang (now Hangzhou, Zhejiang). Outstanding scientist in northern song dynasty. He was born in a feudal bureaucratic family. In his youth, he served as the chief bookkeeper in Shuyang (now Jiangsu), vigorously repaired the Shuhe River and irrigated 700,000 mu of land. Song Renzong was a scholar in junior high school, and was appointed as Yangzhou secretariat to join the army. Because he was familiar with astronomy, he was also appointed as the head of the astronomy department, responsible for observing astronomical phenomena and revising calendars, and put forward a "twelve-qi calendar" similar to the current solar calendar. When I was in Song Shenzong, I participated in Wang Anshi's political reform movement and often went out to Beijing to inspect the implementation of the new law. I have been to Zhejiang, Hebei and other places, and I have been ordered to be an ambassador to Liaoning. Everywhere you go, pay attention to the natural scenery and customs, and make records at any time. He learned about water erosion from the topography of Yandang Mountain in Zhejiang. Judging from the remains of marine life in the rocks of Taihang Mountain, Shandong's land was originally an ocean. He is knowledgeable and has deep research on science and technology, literature, art, history and archaeology. In his later years, he settled in Runzhou (now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu), built Meng Xi Park, and wrote the book Meng Qian Bi Tan.
Meng Qian bi tan
Shen Kuo, the author of Meng Qian Bi Tan, is a writer who combines scientific research, social investigation, anecdotes about literature and history, and anecdotes about gossip. This book was completed at the end of 1 1. Among them, Meng Qian Bi Tan has 26 volumes, Bu Bi Tan has 3 volumes, Continued Bi Tan 1 volume and * * * has 30 volumes. The book is divided into stories, dialectics, music, images, personnel, government affairs, wisdom, art, calligraphy and painting, skills, utensils, magic, wonders, fallacies, ridicule, magazines, medical discussions *** 17, with 609 articles. This is a comprehensive work. Among them, the most valuable are natural science and science and technology, with more than 200 articles, including astronomy, calendar, geography, cartography, geology, meteorology, mathematics, physics, chemistry, water conservancy, architecture, metallurgy, medicine, agriculture, animals, plants and weapons manufacturing, which are enough to reflect the scientific level of the Northern Song Dynasty.
Guo Shoujing
Guo Shoujing (1231-1316) was born in Xingtai, Shunde (now Hebei). Astronomers and water conservancy experts in Yuan Dynasty. His grandfather Guo Rong was "familiar with the Five Classics and good at calculating water conservancy". Guo Shoujing was invited to worship Liu Weishi, an expert in astronomy and geography at that time. When Guo Shoujing was 32 years old, Liu's old classmates recommended Guo Shoujing to him. Yuan Shizu summoned Guo Shoujing, and Guo Shoujing put forward six suggestions for developing water conservancy in North China. Every time he hits one, Yuan Shizu sighs, "If you are a servant, you are not a vegetarian." Immediately allowed to upgrade all rivers and canals. Soon, Guo Shoujing visited Ningxia with Zhang Wenqian, built many ancient canals, and advocated less supervision.
The early Yuan Dynasty inherited the Ming calendar of the Jin Dynasty. The errors in Daming Calendar have been remarkable. In the 13th year of Zhiyuan (1276), Yuan Shizu ordered the establishment of the Taishi Bureau led by Prince Zanshan, Wang Xun and Guo Shoujing, the governor of Jingshi, and summoned officials from the north and south to revise the new calendar. In addition, Zhang Wenqian and Zhang Yi, deputy envoys of the Government Affairs Committee, were appointed to take charge of this matter. Wang Xun is mainly responsible for the calendar itself. Guo Shoujing is mainly responsible for instruments and observation. Guo Shoujing created nearly 20 kinds of astronomical instruments, presided over large-scale measurements, and personally made many observations. After four years' efforts, the new calendar was completed and named "Calendar", which was promulgated in the eighteenth year of Zhiyuan (128 1). This year, Wang Xun died, and there were still many materials that were not finalized. It took Guo Shoujing two years to finalize it.
In his later years, Guo Shoujing turned to water conservancy work. In the spring of the twenty-seventh year of Yuan Dynasty (129 1), he led his troops to renovate the Grain River, and most of the Grain River reached Tongzhou. More than a year later, the canal was completed and named Tonghui River. In order to solve the problem of water shortage in Tonghui River, Guo Shoujing presided over the construction of Baifu Canal, which "draws Baifu spring water from Beishan (now Shenshan, Changping, Beijing), turns west to south, passes through Wengshanbo (now Kunming Lake, Beijing), enters the city from Xishuimen and flows into Jishuitan". Adequate water sources ensure that grain carriers can directly sail into the Dadu River Jishuitan, which is covered with water.
Picture description
Bi sheng
This is a statue created by Wang Fengzuo in 1959 according to historical records. It is now on display in the Chinese History Museum. Bi Sheng wore a soft cap and a round neck robe. He holds movable type in his right hand and movable type in his left hand, completely immersed in the work state of selflessness.
Rotary typesetting
This is a wheel-shaped plate invented by Wang Zhen in Yuan Dynasty, which is used to classify and discharge movable type. The dial is disc-shaped and divided into several grids, and the movable type fonts are arranged in the grids according to rhyme. A vertical shaft bracket is arranged below the dial, and the vertical shaft is fixed on the base. When typesetting, two people cooperate, one reads the manuscript and the other turns the dial, so that the required fonts can be conveniently and quickly taken out and discharged into the plate. After printing, restore fonts one by one. This reform not only improves the efficiency of word selection, but also reduces the labor intensity.
Sina mode in Han dynasty
Sina model was made by later generations according to historical records and objects unearthed from the underground of Han Dynasty ruins. Sina's site is made of bronze, with a round face in the middle and a round face outside. Outside the middle circle, eight diagrams, heavenly stems, earthly branches and twenty-eight lodges are arranged in turn, counting twenty-four directions. The spoon in the middle is polished with a natural magnet, the anode of the magnet is polished into a long handle, and the bottom of the spoon head is hemispherical and very smooth. When in use, put the magnetic spoon in the middle of the field and turn the spoon handle by hand until the magnetic spoon stops and the spoon handle points to the south. This kind of Sina has been used until the 8th century. The Sina model here is an exhibit of China History Museum.
Compass model in song dynasty
The original installation method of compass is based on magnetic needle. Many experiments have been carried out on the shape and device of magnetic needle. According to Shen Kuo's Meng Qian Bi Tan, there were four kinds of needle gauges with different devices in the Northern Song Dynasty, namely, water float method, hanging method, nailing method and bowl lip method. However, it is found that the compasses of these four kinds of equipment have no site, so they must not shake when they are used, which is subject to many restrictions. Therefore, the combination of compass and azimuth disk produces a more convenient compass, also known as compass needle. This is a great leap in the history of compass development. China's ancient records of compass needles were first found in Zeng Sanyi's Record of Yin Hua in the Southern Song Dynasty.
Southern song dynasty musket
1259, when Song Jun was fighting against the Mongolian army, the soldiers and civilians of Shouchun Prefecture (now Shouxian County, Anhui Province) created a musket with a bamboo tube as the barrel, which could fire Zi Zhen. This "nest" is made of stone and iron. In addition to "Zi Zhen", the barrel also contains gunpowder. After the gunpowder is ignited, it produces a strong air pressure and shoots "bullets". Zizhen is an atomic bomb. Later, the "bullets" in tubular firearms developed into projectiles, and bullets developed from stone bullets and lead bullets to iron bullets.
Yuan dynasty artillery
Artillery, also known as ware, is a tubular firearm made of metal in ancient times and fired projectiles under the pressure of gunpowder gas. Illustration The artillery of the Yuan Dynasty was cast in the third year of Shunzhi (1332) and is now in the Chinese History Museum in Beijing. It weighs 6.94 kg, is 35.3 cm long and has a muzzle diameter of 10.5 cm. There are three lines of inscriptions on the cover in the middle of the gun body, such as "February 14th, Shunshun three years, Suibian was a static army, No.300 Mashan". The bronze cannon is fired on a wooden frame, which is shaped like a long bench. Put the shovel on the bench. Because there is a square hole about 2 cm on both sides of the tail of the barrel, the barrel can be fixed on the wooden frame by piercing an iron bolt at the tail through the square hole. In order to make the gun pitch high and low, a wooden wedge is added under the barrel to give different shooting angles to achieve the required shooting distance.