Many of the inventions attributed to the West were actually first invented in China and later modified or refined by Western powers after the invention made its way from China. Important discoveries such as paper, moveable type printing, gunpowder, and the mechanical clock all have had immense influence on modern life and originated in China. It is important to understand ourselves by looking to the past and seeing where these inventions came from and how they made their way to common use by us. This is especially true in an ever increasing global outlook to realize that other cultures have had a profound effect upon our own.