The Chinese Thought of It: Amazing Inventions and Innovations

by Ting-xing Ye

Acupuncture, gun powder and the secrets to spinning silk are innovations that we have come to associate with China. But did you know that the Chinese also invented the umbrella? And toilet paper, initially made from rice straw clumped together, was first used in China! Through the ages, the Chinese have used the resources available to them to improve their lives. Their development of the compass and the paddleboat helped facilitate the often difficult tasks of travel and trade, and many foods associated with health and wellness—from green tea to tofu—have their origins in China. Other interesting innovations include • the suspension bridge • the wheelbarrow • playing cards With descriptive photos and information-packed text divided into sections including farming, food and games, this third book in the ‘Thought of It’ series explores the fascinating origins of much that surrounds us today.

Genres: History

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Ting-xing Ye, author of the best-selling memoir, A Leaf in the Bitter Wind, was born in Shanghai, China, in 1952, the fourth of five children born to a factory owner and his wife. At sixteen she was “sent down” to a prison farm during the Cultural Revolution, spending six years there before being admitted to Beijing University. She took a degree in English Literature, then began a seven year career as English interpreter for the national government in Shanghai. Ye came to Canada in 1987. She has been a child-care worker, bank clerk, and secretary. She published her first picture book in 1998. She also writes Young Adult fiction and non-fiction.

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent supplement to my 9yo's history studies.

[Canadian Children's Book Centre]

Reviewed by Mary Ann Cree

Here is the latest in the We Thought of It series. The series, which includes The Inuit Thought of It and A Native American Thought of It, takes an interesting and informative approach to technology and innovation. Each book is written by a native of that culture. With this new title, we travel around the world to China where the noted Chinese Canadian author, Ting-xing Ye, grew up. In her introduction, she tells us of her first hand experience with some of the ancient Chinese inventions that she researched for the book.

We begin with a useful timeline and a simple map. The book is divided into mostly double-page spreads, each one covering different topics such as farming, working with metal, weapons, transportation and medicine. Rice planting in rows, metal ploughshares, gunpowder and acupuncture are just a few of the innovations that emerged from this ancient culture. Paper and printing is given a lengthy treatment as it is, of course, one of the most significant inventions of China. There is also an extensive section on silk. In the section “Everyday Innovations” we learn that the Chinese probably invented the umbrella in the first century CE and the toothbrush in the late 1400s!

As in the other two books, each invention is described in its own text box. Pictures overlap each other and the text – there is a lot of information, but it doesn’t feel cluttered. While the Inuit book has blue and grey pages, and the Native American has brown and green pages, the pages here are bright red, gold and yellow. It’s a nice design feature that distinguishes the different environment and culture of each place. This useful series combines history, science and culture in a unique way that is easy for students to understand.

Canadian Children's Book News (Winter 2010, Vol. 33, No. 1)

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

With several thousand years of civilization to draw from, it's not at all surprising that the Chinese can lay claim to an astonishing number of inventions. Brief explanations of dozens of these innovations, always with bright accompanying pictures, are collected in this children's book under broad categories like “Farming,” “Working with Metal,” and “Transportation and Exploration.” While it's geared toward 4th to 6th graders, it also held my attention easily.

A simple map of China and a timeline stretching from the Shang Dynasty (1650-1100 B.C.) to the present open the book with an overview of the country and its history. Chinese characters are scattered throughout the pages with a note at the end explaining the difference between pictographs and ideographs and giving the meanings of those scattered characters. The book closes with a section on “China Today” linking the ingenuity of the past with present accomplishments in construction, transportation and technology in particular. The Chinese Thought of It is a great repository of “I didn't know that!” moments that will catch the imagination of inquisitive kids and adults.

For more book reviews, come visit my blog, Build Enough Bookshelves.