The little-known "Four Great Aviation Inventions" of Ancient China

As a Chinese, you will naturally know the four great inventions of ancient China that are famous all over the world - papermaking, compass, gunpowder and printing. However, in the splendid ancient Chinese civilization, there were also four great aviation inventions, namely kites, bamboo dragonflies, Kongming lanterns and firecrackers. Many people don't know about these four great inventions. Now, let me tell you one by one.

In the process of getting rid of ignorance, human beings have always longed to fly freely in the blue sky like birds. In ancient times and the farming era, early aviation skills and initial inventions were produced. In the industrial age, with the rapid development of science and technology, human beings' dream of flying has finally become a reality.

Ancient China is one of the regions with the richest flying myths and legends. "The black bird was sent by heaven to give birth to the Shang Dynasty." The Shang people believed that they were descendants of the black bird and regarded the black bird as the totem of their tribe; the beautiful stories of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl and Chang'e flying to the moon embody people's beautiful emotions; Lei Zhenzi in "The Investiture of the Gods" has wings under his ribs and can fly freely; the Qigong people in "The Classic of Mountains and Seas" can build flying cars and travel far away on the wind.

In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, the gods either had wings, rode flying cars, or rode eagles, soaring between heaven and earth. The Bible describes in detail the scene of Jehovah riding a flying vehicle. The winged angel has become a cultural symbol that can be seen everywhere in the Christian cultural circle. The legend of the Babylonian flying carpet embodies the ancient Arabs' fascination with flying.

Kite

According to research, China invented kites before the Western Han Dynasty. Before the Tang Dynasty, kites were called paper kites. People in the Tang Dynasty tied bamboo flutes to kites, which made a sound similar to that of a zither in the air. The name "kite" came from this. Kites were introduced to Europe around the 14th century. Many aviation pioneers began to study the principles of flight from kites, and new inventions such as multi-body kites and manned kites were born. Wind embodies many aerodynamic elements of aircraft, including concepts such as lift, traction, angle of attack, and relative airflow, and is generally considered to be the ancestor of modern aircraft.

Bamboo Dragonfly

In 500 BC, the Chinese invented the bamboo dragonfly, a simple yet magical toy that has been handed down to this day. It is T-shaped and made entirely of bamboo, with a horizontal piece like a propeller with a hole in the middle. A bamboo stick is inserted into it, and the dragonfly will fly up into the sky when it is twisted with both hands. In the 18th century, the bamboo dragonfly was introduced to Europe and was called the "Chinese flying top", which inspired the invention of propellers and helicopters. George Cayley, known as the "Father of Aviation Science", was fascinated by the bamboo dragonfly throughout his life. His first aviation research was to imitate and improve the "bamboo dragonfly" and analyze the working principle of the propeller.

Kongming Lantern

During the Five Dynasties, a woman named Shen Qiniang followed her husband to war. She made a square lantern out of bamboo and paper. When the base was lit with rosin, the lantern could soar up and was used as a communication signal. It was called "Qiniang Lantern", also known as "Rosin Lantern". Because the appearance of "Qiniang Lantern" resembled Zhuge Liang's hat, later generations also called it "Kongming Lantern". The principle of Kongming Lantern's launch is exactly the same as that of hot air balloons. It is the ancestor of modern aerostats.

Firecrackers

Around the late Jin Dynasty, the Chinese invented black gunpowder, which is one of the four great inventions of ancient China. In the Sui Dynasty, people put gunpowder into bamboo tubes to make firecrackers to drive away ghosts and evil spirits. Around the Tang Dynasty, the Chinese made firecrackers that could fly in the air based on firecrackers - "Qihua". "Qihua" is shaped like a small paper cannon, decorated with a reed about two or three feet long, and it will fly quickly when the core is burned. "Qihua" is the most primitive gunpowder rocket. It looks simple, but its working principle is no different from that of modern solid rockets.

In addition to the above inventions, ancient China also made aviation equipment such as the zoetrope and the gyro gimbal. The zoetrope reveals the basic principle of the gas turbine, and the gyro gimbal can be regarded as the prototype of the aviation gyroscope.

It is regrettable that after the Song Dynasty, the Chinese people’s active innovative thinking and activities came to an abrupt end. The above-mentioned ingenious inventions were also fixed at the level of skills, rather than elevated to the height of rationality and theory. As a result, there are few records of Chinese inventions in the history of modern aviation development in the world. This phenomenon is worth our deep consideration, and there should be some changes in mankind’s new aviation endeavors in the 21st century.

Source: Chongqing Industry-University-Research Cooperation Promotion Association

Author: Zhang Juen, Advisor to the Science and Technology Committee of the Aviation Industry Corporation of China

Review expert: Mao Yi, chief expert of Chongqing Science Communication Expert Group, professor of Chongqing Electronic Engineering Vocational College

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