Editing Paddle steamer (section)

=== China ===
[[File:Radpaddelsch.jpg|thumb|upright|A Chinese paddle-wheel ship from a [[Qing dynasty]] [[encyclopedia]] published in 1726]]
The first mention of a paddle-wheel ship from China is in the ''[[History of the Southern Dynasties]]'', compiled in the 7th century but describing the naval ships of the [[Liu Song dynasty]] (420–479) used by admiral Wang Zhen'e in his campaign against the [[Qiang people|Qiang]] in 418 AD. The ancient Chinese mathematician and astronomer [[Zu Chongzhi]] (429–500) had a paddle-wheel ship built on the Xinting River (south of [[Nanjing]]) known as the "[[Qianli chuan|thousand league boat]]".<ref name="Needham">[[Joseph Needham|Needham, Joseph]] (1965). ''Science and Civilization in China, Vol. IV: Physics and Physical Technology'', p.416. {{ISBN|978-0-521-05802-5}}.</ref> When campaigning against [[Hou Jing]] in 552, the [[Liang dynasty]] (502–557) admiral Xu Shipu employed paddle-wheel boats called "water-wheel boats". At the siege of Liyang in 573, the admiral Huang Faqiu employed foot-treadle powered paddle-wheel boats. A successful paddle-wheel warship design was made in China by Prince Li Gao in 784 AD, during an imperial examination of the provinces by the [[Tang dynasty]] (618–907) emperor.<ref>{{cite book|last=Needham|first=Joseph|title=Science and Civilization in China: Volume 4, Part 3, Civil Engineering and Nautics|year=1986|publisher=Caves Books|location=Taipei|page=31}}</ref> The Chinese [[Song dynasty]] (960–1279) issued the construction of many paddle-wheel ships for its standing [[History of the Song dynasty|navy]], and according to the British biochemist, historian, and sinologist [[Joseph Needham]]:

<blockquote>
"...between 1132 and 1183 (AD) a great number of treadmill-operated paddle-wheel craft, large and small, were built, including sternwheelers and ships with as many as 11 paddle-wheels a side,".<ref name="needham 476">Needham, 476</ref>
</blockquote>

The standard Chinese term "wheel ship" was used by the Song period, whereas a litany of colorful terms were used to describe it beforehand. In the 12th century, the Song government used paddle-wheel ships ''en masse'' to defeat opposing armies of pirates armed with their own paddle-wheel ships. At the [[Battle of Caishi]] in 1161, paddle-wheelers were also used with great success against the [[Jin dynasty, 1115–1234|Jin dynasty]] (1115–1234) navy.<ref>{{cite book|last=Needham|first=Joseph|title=Science and Civilization in China: Volume 5, Part 7, Military Technology; The Gunpowder Epic|year=1986|publisher=Caves Books|location= Taipei|pages=165–166}}</ref> The Chinese used the paddle-wheel ship even during the [[First Opium War]] (1839–1842) and for transport around the [[Pearl River (China)|Pearl River]] during the early 20th century.