Archaeological discoveries in modern China have proved some legends and records. In Hemudu, Yuyao, Zhejiang and zhengpeiligang, Henan, quite exquisite agricultural tools, such as stone shovels, were found seven or eight thousand years ago. In ancient Chinese scriptures, there are many records about the use and manufacture of machinery in ancient times. In Zhouyi, there are "Huang Di, Yao and Shun '. It can be seen that more than 4000 years ago, cars, boats, farm implements and many living appliances were invented in ancient China. Among the words "trapped" in the 47th hexagram of Zhouyi, there is "trapped in the golden cart", which refers to the luxurious carriage decorated with copper. Zhang Cheng, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, said that "six classics are all histories". In ancient Chinese literature, mechanical products are closely related to people's lives. In the book of Daodejing in the spring and Autumn period and the Warring States period, there is a saying that "thirty spokes share one hub, like the sun and the moon". However, the No. According to statistics, at that time, each wheel used 30 spokes, but there were certain rules for the number of spokes. In addition, in ancient China, there were many inventions in weapons, textile machinery, agricultural tools, ships and other aspects. By the Qin and Han Dynasties (221 BC-220 AD), China's machinery design and manufacturing had reached a very high level of technology. At that time, it was in the leading position in the world and occupied a very important position in the history of world mechanical engineering. In ancient China, mechanical invention, designer and manufacturer are unified. There are many famous people whose achievements represent the mechanical design level of our country at that time. During the Tang Dynasty, China carried out economic, cultural, scientific and technological exchanges with many countries, and frequent trade with Southeast Asia, South Asia, Arabia, and the east coast of Africa, which had a great impact on China and some other countries in the world. Due to the development of trade, the increase of commodities is required, so as to improve the production equipment, making great progress in mechanical design. New progress has been made in papermaking, textile, agriculture, mining, ceramics, printing and dyeing, weapons, etc., and the level of mechanical design has also been improved by a big step. Shen Kuo's work Mengxi pen Tan in Song dynasty recorded many scientific achievements at that time, reflecting the scientific level at that time 。

Other countries in the world also have many mechanical achievements. However, most of these designs are based on the designer's experience and lack of necessary theoretical calculation with certain accuracy.