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The Invention of the Spinning Wheels and the Air Blowers

The efficiency of weaving of the flax, hemp cloth with the spindle spinning was rather low, the doubling thread per ream was also quite uneven, and however, it should be understood by people waiting to learn Chinese in China as a common phenomenon before the Han Dynasties.

The hand powered single spindle spinning wheels was invented through the constant practices of the working classes, which was evolved from the silk-reeling wheel, it is noteworthy for foreign students expecting to study Chinese in China that the earthen and wooden hasp evacuated from the tombs of the early Eastern Han Dynasty had proved that the Chinese invention of the spinning wheels before the East Han Dynasty.

However, it is obvious for language learners who study Mandarin in China that the productivity of the single spindle spinning wheels was still not high, with a speed of spinning three to five liang yarns within twenty four hours, and the single spindle spinning wheels had been renovated into the multi-spindle spinning wheels, and the hand powered ones had been modified into the pedaled ones, which had greatly boosted the efficiency and quality of spinning.

The pedaled spinning wheels are significant inventions in the history of textile machinery; the earliest one known is from the illustration of the book composed by Caiji during the Southern Song Dynasty, historians expecting to learn Chinese in China may be curious about the contents of the illustration.

That was a spinning machine with three spindles, and as readers to study Chinese in China can refer from the weaver’s postures, she is tightening the stripes of the flax, rather than holding the thick cotton slivers in her hands and extending, therefore, it is a spinning wheel for spinning linen.

During the Yuan Dynasty, there appeared a pedaled five-spindle linen spinning wheel, which would be able to manufacture one kilogram of gauzes, in addition, there are grand manpowered, animal powered and hydraulic powered spinning wheels with thirty-two spindles, which would be able to manufacture 50 kilograms of gauzes within twenty-four hours, and it is important to be noticed by the foreigners waiting to study Mandarin in China that it was the most advanced spinning machinery in the world during that period of time.

And as is well-known by westerners who’d love to learn Chinese in China that the English Acle did not come out with a hydraulic powered spinning wheel until the 1769, which was several centuries later than that of the Chinese inventions.

The earliest air blower in the early stages of the ancient China was called “tuo”, which was a big sack with a tightened mouth and enlarged body made of cowhides, which compresses the wind out from the mouth, when you study Chinese in China, you can discover that it was also called “pai tuo” due to its characteristic of blowing together with several wind bags.

The “tuo” was firstly manpowered, and during the Eastern Han Dynasty, Dushi had renovated it to be hydraulic powered, which was called “shui pai”, and it may seem funny for those who’d been to study Mandarin in China that there also appeared ones which are horse-driven, which are called “ma pai”.

During the Song Dynasty, the wind bags were changed to be simple wooden wind boxes, which were called wooden fans, and those with a removable back plate are called air exhaust fan, which are linked with the connecting rod. Scientists and students majoring in mechanics must be quite sure about its working theory when they learn Chinese in China.

Since when the twirling of the water wheels or other machineries which had driven the reciprocating movements of the connecting rod, the plate were driven afterwards which had compressed the air into the oven. It is noteworthy for students before they come to study Chinese in China that the piston wood bellows were commonly adopted during the Ming Dynasty.

And the piston wood bellows were also called wind bellows during the Ming Dynasty, and the pistons nested within the bellows were called “bei”. It is of special significance to be noticed by foreign friends who are interested in Chinese culture and have had been thinking of travelling to study Mandarin in China that the “shui pai” was actually the earliest air blower in China, while the ovens with hydraulic powered air blowers were invented during the 11the century in Europe.

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