>>18053443by the song dynasty, China had invented paper, gun power, compass, movable type printing, cast iron, silk production, porceline, paper money, seismograph, iron ploughshare, fishing reel, co-fusion steel process, water wheel, trebuchet, wheelbarrow, bombs, well drilling, color printing, blast furnace, oil refining, crossbow, tea cultivation, alcohol brewing, playing cards, silk production, bristle toothbrush, rockets, vaccines, gas lighting, etc, which established them as the technological power. this would all eventually transmit to europe and china began to isolate itself during the Ming dynasty. they became too comfortable with their succcess. european demand for chinese products was high but chinese demand for european products was very low until the 1700s. even something like the examination system was invented by china and then copied by europe.
>According to Ferdinand Brunetière (1849-1906), followers of Physiocracy such as François Quesnay, whose theory of free trade was based on Chinese classical theory, were sinophiles bent on introducing "l'esprit chinois" to France. He also admits that French education was really based on Chinese literary examinations.>In 1853, Lord Stanley of England called the examinations the "Chinese Principle."china had even reached and established peaceful trade relations with Africa using the world's largest and most technologically advanced ships at the time in the 15th century. however, they were never an expansionist empire in the sense of the mongols or the west. they were building walls to keep others out. this tendency towards isolationism would end their voyages.
