Those who live in the Western world often feel as though their civilization is, and always was, the most technologically advanced (and maybe even most important) in the world. However, that is not necessarily true. Many important inventions that we once used, or even still use today, saw their advent in the mysterious Eastern "Orient," as the Europeans once called it. These inventions were not only revolutionary but also markers of one of the most advanced societies in our history, perhaps second only to modern day, industrial cultures. So, here we will look through ten important things that the Chinese invented first, that are still important to us today.
西方人往往觉得他们的文明是世界上最先进的（甚至是最重要的）。然而，这可不一定。许多我们曾经使用过或沿用至今的重要发明，都首先出现在神秘的“东方”（欧洲人曾用“Orient”这个词指中国和日本）。这些发明不仅是革命性的，还是古代中国技术先进的象征，那时的中国文明，也许仅次于现代工业文明。在这里，我们一起来看下中国人最先发明的10件重要东西，这些物品至今都不可或缺。
10.酒
What is more important than the invention of alcohol? While the substance was certainly useful for tolerating the brutal conditions of the ancient world, it also had another, nearly miraculous effect. It was a sterilizer in an age when Purell and hand soap were distant dreams in the eyes of the OCD. It is arguable that booze is the very thing that made civilization possible, giving people clean drinking water and a way to sanitize wounds, foods, and pretty much anything else that they poured their liquor on.
还有什么东西比酒的发明更重要呢？虽然酒对于抵御古代严酷的环境很有帮助，但它还有一种神奇的作用。在净手液和抗菌皂简直遥不可及的时代，酒就是灭菌剂。虽然酒为人们提供干净的饮水，人们还可以用它消毒伤口、清洁食物及其他东西，但酒的发明使人类文明成为可能这种说法依旧有待商榷。
And of course, it was first invented in China. Nearly nine thousand years ago, as far as we can tell. In the late 1990s, archeologists uncovered shards of broken pottery in Northern China which had on them a strange residue. Upon further examination, the residue was determined to be left over fermented juices from rice, honey, and fruit, essentially giving us history's first mead.
当然，酒最早是在中国发明的。据我们所知，那是近九千年前的事了。上世纪90年代末，考古学家在中国北部发现了碎陶器碎片，这些碎片上有一种奇怪的残留物。经过进一步检验，考古学家发现这种残留物是由大米、蜂蜜和水果发酵而来的，实际上，这是历史上第一罐蜂蜜酒。
What makes the whole thing even better is that this Stone Age archeological site also revealed some of the oldest playable instruments ever found, in the form of flutes made of bone. So chances are, those ancient folk were doing the same thing we still do, listening to music and get smashed with our friends.
更妙的是，这个石器时代的考古遗址还出土了一些骨头制成的长笛。这是最古老的乐器。所以，古人们也许和我们做着同样的事情，听听音乐，和朋友开怀畅饮。
9．印刷术
Everyone knows Gutenberg right? From the famous Bible to the project trying to spread free textbooks, the man behind this name is one of the most important figures in the development of modern European culture. Johannes Gutenberg's printing press helped shape modern Europe, and by extension, a great deal of the world. But guess what, the Chinese did it first, and they did it way earlier.
每个人都知道古登堡对吧？从著名的圣经到传播免费书籍的项目，这个名字背后是推动现代欧洲文化发展的巨匠。约翰内斯·古登堡发明的印刷机帮助塑造了现代欧洲，并传播到世界各地。但你猜怎么着，印刷术是中国人最先发明的。
During the reign of the Tang Dynasty (618-907), Chinese engineers began using wood blocks to print designs onto silk and other fabrics. This would soon transition into reproducing short Buddhist texts so people could carry their mantras with them. Finally, by 868, the first dated, printed book was published. It was a translated Indian Buddhist text called the Diamond Sutra. Oh, and for a little perspective, Gutenberg was born around 1400, nearly 540 years after the publishing of the Diamond Sutra.
唐朝（618-907年）年间，中国的工匠们开始用木块把图案印在丝绸和其他织物上。这项技术很快被用于复刻简短的佛经，以便人们随身携带。终于，公元868年，到了，第一本印刷书面世了。这是一部被翻译过来的印度佛经，名叫金刚经。相比之下，古登堡出生于公元1400年左右，比印刷版金刚经的面世晚了约540年。
8.纸币
Not long after coming up with an efficient printing press, the Chinese invented banknotes. Now, one might ask, why are banknotes interesting? They're just lame pieces of paper! Well, they are important because we still use them today. Nearly all modern currency comes in the form of banknotes, pieces of colored paper that are given value by the very people who use them.
中国人发明高效的印刷机后不久，纸币也问世了。今时今日，也许有人会问，纸币有什么稀奇？不过是些薄纸片儿罢了。确实，纸币很重要是因为被我们使用至今。几乎所有的现代货币都是以纸币形式出现的，这些色彩斑斓的纸片被每一位使用者赋予了价值。
Banknotes began to emerge in China, even before the publication of the previously mentioned Sutra, in the 700s, as inflation and devaluation made Chinese currency inefficient and even annoying to use in bartering. So, they did the obvious thing and converted those gold coins into green Benjamins.
公元8世纪，纸币开始在中国出现，这甚至早于上文提到的金刚经面世时间。受通货膨胀和货币贬值的影响，当时的中国钱币变得一文不值，在交易时使用起来极不便利。因此，纸币便应运而生了。
7.造纸术
Now, how could a group of people invent printing and banknotes, if they didn't also create something for that ink to get stamped on! Around A.D. 100, the Han Dynasty (206 B.C.–A.D. 220) figured out how to make material on which they could write by using old rags, bamboo, hemp, and other fibrous plants and materials to make pulp. This pulp would then be filtered through a screen and allowed to dry, creating paper.
如果人们都没有创造出可供书写的东西，又怎么能发明印刷术和纸币？早在公元100年左右，汉朝（公元前206年-公元220年）人就用旧布片、竹、麻及其他纤维植物和材料来制作纸浆。人们随后用蔑席捞浆，使纸浆在席上交织成薄片状的湿纸，干燥后揭下，就成了纸张。
While the rest of the world had things like parchment and papyrus before then, this paper would ultimately win out as the world's preferred method of recording information. It does not require specific storage conditions like papyrus, or specifically prepared animal hide, like parchment.
虽然在此之前，世界上其他地方也有像羊皮纸和莎草纸（莎草纸是古埃及人广泛采用的书写介质，是将纸莎草这种植物做一定处理而做成，类似于竹简）这样的工具，但毫无疑问，纸张是拿来记录信息的最优选择。它既不像莎草纸那样需要特定的储藏条件，也不像羊皮纸那样需要事先准备兽皮。
6.舵
Ah, the rudder. Probably amongst the most underappreciated part of any boat. While the rest of the world used steering oars in lieu of built-in rudders, the ancient Chinese were one step ahead, inventing the stern-mounted rudder around A.D. 100.
舵可能是整个船体中最容易被忽视的部分。公元100年前后，当世界其他地方还在使用操纵桨来控制航向时，古代中国已经领先一步，发明了固定于船尾的舵。
This useful implement allowed for careful and precise turning, something that the steering oar was not quite as capable of, considering the oar had to rely on one strong man not getting too tired to steer the boat. With a rudder attached, all it would take to turn the boat was the moving of a lever. Oh, and just for a little more perspective, the oldest recorded use of stern-mounted rudders in Europe was about a thousand years later, in southern England. It looks like the Saxons got tired of having to turn their boats themselves!
船舵使得精准转向成为可能，这是操纵桨无法做到的，因为操纵浆必须依靠一个满身力气的壮汉来进行转向操作。但装上了船尾舵，船只转向就只需要移动控制杆了。对了，进一步对比下，欧洲最早使用固定船尾舵的记录，出现在1000年以后的英格兰南部。看起来，那个时期的撒克逊人终于厌倦了人工转向！
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