I was just wondering, is there any actual living Chinese rocket/firework from the 12-13th century (technichally the first rockets/ "güns") still intact and in possesion at this time. If some of you do not know what I am talking about and basing around, here is some text talking of Chinese Early Rockets : Two crucial innovations were needed before the Chinese developed rockets propelled by gunpowder. First, the idea of a counter-balance had to be conceived. A counter-balance would allow the rocket to move on a straight trajectory. The second innovation was a hole bored into the exact center of the gunpowder in the missile tube. This would allow the gunpowder to burn evenly and provide efficient thrust. This process of boring into the gunpowder was extremely dangerous. Both of these developments occurred during the 12th and 13th centuries. I always just wondered if any of these survived from the past, for it always intrigued me as to what these would exactly look like. I highly doubt that any have been found, for if some were there would probably would be pictures of them, and I have yet to see any. So I was just wondering if any of you could direct me to a website that could supply pictures, or a musuem that happened to have one/more. If there are no surviving rockets from this time, could somebody possibly notify me of this fact. Thank you for reading Diablo. Note: I am sorry for the fact that I have not been on the forums for awhile, I apologize.
the oldest rockets I have seen are indian ones from the 18th or maybe 19th century that were succesfully used against the brits. You have to remember that these things are oneshot and made cheaply of paper with flamable/explosive interiors. Not the best thing for a prolonged musuem life. FNG