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How Did Chinese Technology Change Over Europe

Decent Essays

China enjoyed a number of technological advances over Europe in the period running up to the 15th century, most significantly the development of gunpowder, compasses and printing. These inventions revolutionised European technology facilitating exploration, conquest and literature. Unlike in Europe, these inventions were not put to such use by the Chinese who held a fairly isolationist view. Meaning that they did not involve themselves in trade to nearly the same degree as many Europeans. In this essay I will be assessing China’s technological lead over Europe before the 16th century and commenting on the extent to which they held this lead. I will then go on to consider the main events, which took place in China, and particularly in Europe …show more content…

‘It is only because of Needham's work that the Western academic community has become aware that until Europe's takeoff China was the unrivaled world leader in technological development.’ (Lynda Shaffer, World History Bulletin, Fall/Winter 1986/87). The suggestion here by Shaffer is that Chinese technology was at a far greater level than that of European technology, only because of Needham’s work, specifically in Chinese technology, did the advancement of this technology become apparent. Implying that China enjoyed a technological advantage over Europe before the end of the 16th …show more content…

This can be contributed to the fact that China did not utilize their inventions to nearly the same extent as Europe. Lynda Shaffer is to a broad extent in agreement with this as she argues that ‘Needham's question can thus be understood to mean, Why didn't China use gunpowder to destroy feudal walls? Why didn't China use the compass to cross the Pacific and discover America, or to find an all-sea route to Western Europe?’ (Lynda Shaffer, World History Bulletin, Fall/Winter 1986/87). This can broadly be explained by the fact that ‘long historical unity of China, covering a large land-mass, meant that it was mostly self-sufficient. China did not need the outside world, which was inferior anyway’. (Roy Bailey, EC120, week 3). Moreover, ‘China was never exposed to the fiercely competitive states system of Europe’ (Roy Bailey, EC120, week 3), which would have demanded China to remove itself from an isolationist position in order for the country to survive. In contrast to this, European countries took advantage of the newly discovered technologies. The use of gunpowder in Europe made castles and other such structures associated with the medieval period obsolete, as castles were no matches for something, which could destroy their walls. This helped to free Europe from its feudal

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