Blast Furnace

Ancient China was located in Eastern Asia along the Yangtze and Yellow River from 6000 BCE - 220 CE. Ancient China’s society had a focus on family and honor with large scale drafts, with all these draftees they'd need weapons and armor which lead to multiple inventions for warfare. Some of these inventions were Gunpowder and the Blast Furnace which was invented in the second half of the first millennium BCE, stated in "Inventions of Cast Iron Smelting In Early China". The population was growing and they needed stronger tools and equipment to compensate for the growing population. The Chinese had already had the Blooming Furnace, but it produced more brittle iron for tools and equipment at a slower pace. They needed a stronger, faster, more efficient furnace to meet the needs of both the civilians and the Chinese Army, so the Chinese invented the Blast furnace which met all these needs. 

With the new era of innovation in Chinese smiting, the Blast Furnace was made to replace the Blooming Furnace. To make this furnace for the new empire, they would dig a pit that would be tamped. Then they would use a mix of clay and organic fibers to strengthen the walls. Once done they would build up a circular and sometimes rectangular shape around the pit. Finally they would cover a bit more than half of the top of the furnace as found in "Cast Iron Smelting and Fining". The Blast Furnace was an advanced furnace for its time and prior to it the Chinese used a lesser furnace that was slower and less efficient. With the blast furnace the Chinese people could make better weapons, equipment, and tools faster.

With a design that was so innovative and effective if used properly, they would need to be placed in a space they could thrive in, but where? The Chinese blast furnace was mainly constructed and used near mountains and mines so they can harvest the raw materials faster. Now how did they work? The blast furnace used coal and flux as fuel to use an air blast to make raw ores into usable materials. This could go on for weeks and even months before needing to be refilled due to its brilliant design, said by  "Inventions of Cast Iron Smelting In Early China".