China has given birth to numerous scientific and technological inventions, and for many centuries led the world in such innovations. Indeed, some of the most important inventions in the history of human civilization originated in China - not least the compass, gunpowder, paper, and printing. Ancient Chinese Inventions provides an accessible, illustrated introduction to the many inventions to which China can lay claim, from the aforementioned seminal discoveries to mining technology, the production of silk and ceramics, and brilliant advances in astronomy, mathematics and medicine.