Article ID: CBB666890349

Cao Huanwen and His Research on the Gunpowder of China (2014)

unapi

Gunpowder is regarded as one of the greatest inventions in the history of mankind.Due mainly to the studies from Chinese scholars since the 20 th century,the name of China has been gradually connected with the invention of gunpowder. Among these Chinese scholars,Feng Chiasheng and Wang Ling have been generally accepted as the pioneers in the field of the history of gunpowder in ancient China. In view of the newly discovered firsthand historical materials,however,this paper deems that Cao Huanwen began his research earlier than the study of Feng and Wang,whether about the publication or the reading off of papers. What matters most is that Cao firstly and independently developed the idea which was generally accepted as the basic thesis of the following research since Feng and Wang. The paper states clearly that it was the ancient Chinese medico-alchemists who invented gunpowder. For this conclusion,Cao had made a more justifiable and convincing job. In addition,one of Cao’s manuscript works,Materials of the Complete History of Gunpowder in Ancient China,which it took nearly 20 years to work on,is so far the only discovered writings assembling the research data of the Chinese history of gunpowder. Meanwhile,Cao’s many other ideas could also be the academic works of independent thought,for example,gunpowder was invented during the times of Wei and Jin and was well-known in the Northern and Southern Dynasties,and it was used firstly among the people and then to military purpose,and the dissemination of gunpowder from China to the West via Arabia was due to Mongolia’s "active" imparting.

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Authors & Contributors
Jiang, Xiaoyuan
Formisano, Marco
Mohammadifar, Shamameh
Zheng, Cheng
Wagner, Donald Blackmore
Tian, Shouyun
Concepts
Technology and war; technology and the military
Technology
Gunpowder
Cross-cultural interaction; cultural influence
Inventors and invention
Technology and culture
Time Periods
Ancient
Medieval
20th century, early
19th century
18th century
17th century
Places
China
India
Arabian peninsula
Mediterranean region
Greece
Persian Gulf
Institutions
Radio Corporation of America
United States. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI)
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