SkillBuilder discussion Communication 1. Identify what the material is. What do you know about how this material is made? 2. What does the colour red symbolise? 3. Why is this colour prominent in Chinese culture?
SOURCE3 A fragment of red Chinese silk featuring dragons, a symbol of wisdom, strength and goodness
Compass The Chinese invented the magnetic compass. It was ýrst used to help build houses facing a direction that matched nature. Paper and printing Ancient China invented paper and printing, which changed people’s lives. Early paper was made by mixing rags, rope and bark into a watery pulp (see SOURCE4 ). This paper was used for many things, like umbrellas, money and writing. Before paper, people wrote on expensive silk. With the invention of block printing in 750 CE, scholars bought important books.
SkillBuilder discussion Historical signiýcance 1. What materials were used in ancient China to make paper, and how did the process work? 2. How did the invention of paper change communication and record-keeping in ancient China? 3. Discuss the ways that paper-making in ancient China would have inþuenced cultures and societies around theworld.
SOURCE4 Paper‐making in ancient China
216 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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