"Ignoramus15685" wrote in
message ...
I cannot stop watching this video, nothing short of amazing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r41dcYUvNLk

Clearly very smart people, forging with just forklifts and a huge
drop hammer

Metalworking in China is about as old as in India and the Near East.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor...lurgy_in_China
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Histor..._in_South_Asia
http://mathewpeet.org/science/materials/steel/history/

AFAICT the development in each region depended on the characteristics
of the local ore, such as the phosphorus content that makes cast iron
easier to melt and pour but steel weaker.