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| Sanlianyan, an ancient cooker [Photo/artron.net] |
How smart ancient Chinese people were can be seen from many items that have been discovered. Let's take a look at some of their amazing inventions. more....
Sanlianyan, unearthed from the tomb of Fuhao, is a cooking utensil used in the ancient Shang Dynasty (16th century-11th century BC). It resembles today's gas cooker. It has two parts, the upper section is a rice steamer for holding food and the lower part is for holding water, with a grate in the middle for steam to pass through. The Sanlianyan can cook several kinds of food at the same time. What an efficient cooker!
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Sanlianyan, an ancient cooker [Photo/artron.net]
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Ancient refrigerator [Photo/artron.net]
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Copper ice container, the ancient freezer, was previously used to ice wines and was unearthed from Suixian county in Hubei province in 1977. Ancient people loved chilled wine in the summer so they put ice blocks in the utensil to make wines inside colder.
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The glass looks modern though it is from the Warring States Period (475-221 BC). The glass is made of a whole piece of fine-quality natural crystal. The crystal glass, unearthed from Shiqiao village in Banshan town of Hangzhou in 1990, is the largest crystal relics unearthed in China so far, and was included as a national treasure.
Some netizens jokingly said that, "My milk cup has travelled to the Warring States Period."
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Barbecue grill [Photo/china.com.cn]
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The pottery barbecue grill from Han Dynasty (206 BC-AD 220) is 20-cm-long, 16.5-cm-wide, and 14-cm–high. The grill, which has strong resemblance to today's grills, has two crooked chisels on its top, which bunches five cicadas. Though having weathered many years, the cicadas can still be seen clearly.
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Silver Yi for medical use [File photo]
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The utensil is to drench medicine for children who can't or won't open their mouths. Adults will put the long and pointed beak into children's mouth and let decoction stream in.
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Penetrative bronze mirror [Photo/artron.net]
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Penetrative mirror best represents bronze-making craft in Han Dynasty. When the mirror faces the sun, the patterns on the back of the mirror are clearly reflected on the object.
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Incense burner in the quilt [File photo]
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The incense burner from Tang Dynasty (AD 618-907) is used in the quilt to keep warm and also add fragrance. It always stays balanced and won't split out any no matter how you rolled them.
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Jade belt [Photo/artron.net]
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The jade belt, unearthed from Xi'an in Shaanxi province, is a Tang Dynasty relic. It comprises of 25 pieces and has complete structure and standard shapes. The belt buckle on the fore-end works the same as nowadays belt, and looks more fashionable, huh?
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Ancient toilet [File photo]
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The wooden lacquer has corroded deeply after having gone through too many years. A restored picture shows that the item was actually a toilet from the ancient Chu State (896-951). The piece was unearthed in Anji county of Zhejiang province.
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Smoke-absorbing lamp [Photo/Xinhua]
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Two 2,000-year-old bronze lamps that can "swallow" smoke were found in the tomb of "Haihunhou" (Marquis of Haihun) last year.
The lamps are in the shape of a goose catching a fish in its mouth. The light is attached to the fish. Smoke emitted during the burning of wax can enter the bird's body via an intake on the fish, travel through its neck and be dissolved by water stored in its hollow belly.
Apparently, people early in Han Dynasty began to design environment-friendly household objects.
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