Amateur Archaeologist Photo Essay from China

Man these guys are smart. I always knew that a lot of things were invented in China. They invented gunpowder, printing, paper, wheelbarrow, cast iron, decimal system, crossbow, abacus, paper money, stoneware, magnetic compass, seismometer, cargo ships, porcelain, the iron plow, and the stirrup. Yesterday I visited the 5000 year old Great Wall (chang cheng in pinyin.) I made a few amazing discoveries of my own. I have recorded them in pictures so I can prove it when I get back to the U.S. See for yourself.

First, this picture is to show you that I actually was at the Great Wall when I discovered these things. You can see the black notebook that I always carry around to write stuff down before I forget it, which is becoming more difficult with every passing year.

This is me burning incense at a Buddhist temple. I am praying that I discover a lot of good stuff today.

Here I discover proof that the early Chinese dynasties were environmentally conscious and that they invented the first trash can.

Imagine my excitement when I happened upon this early Chinese artifact proving that the Chinese had harnessed electricity and understood the laws of thermodynamics more than 5000 years ago. Carnot, eat your heart out.

I saved telling you about my biggest discovery until last. In the Wall facing the barbarians there are holes like this about every 10 feet along the rampart where the soldiers did sentry duty. This is the earliest known evidence that the Chinese invented the men’s room. It also shows they knew how to deal with an enemy.

That’s all for today. Tomorrow I will go exploring in the Forbidden City.

JR