Uploaded August 2013 | Updated September 2026, 4 hours ago
Chinese citizens are incredibly resourceful and when they need something made, they can be professional DIYers
We here at the Run List compiled what we think are the top five citizen inventions in China.
Number 1: Submarines
There have been a number of inventors, mostly sea cucumber farmers, who have made submarine-like sea-crafts to make their job a little easier. One 37-year-old farmer in Hubei province did just that. This is Zhang Wuyi, testing his submarine in a pool, which media reports say can dive as low as 100 feet and travel for 10 hours.
Number 2: Apocalypse Ball
So yes, that is exactly what this is a ball that is supposed to survive an apocalypse—assuming that that means flooding. Actually the inventor calls it The Noah's Ark of China but I'm pretty sure he's not planning on fitting any animals in there. The inventor, Yang Zhongfu made the contraption to survive heat, water and external impact and it can house a family of three for ten months. What happens after ten months is anyone's best guess, but as you can see from the photo, it didn't weather it's first impact test so well.
Number Three: Bikes
This has got to be one of the most practical and creative inventions I've seen—a bike that can ride on the water. Now if he could also go on land with it that would be even better but I think this is just a water bike.
And the other contestant for this category is "The Number One Vehicle in the World". And I'm not just saying that. This bicycle was given that name by inventor Li Yongli, maybe because it is a one wheeled bicycle?
Number 4: Flying Machines
You would be amazed at how many Chinese people have invented things that fly, and those are not easy to do well so it's pretty impressive. Now we found helicopters, planes, jets—you name it, but this was the most original flying contraption we found. Now in this picture, it is hovering about 3 feet above the ground and it managed to stay there for about 10 seconds, but this was back in 2011, so by now I'm sure its flying all over the place. The inventor, Shu Mansheng from Hubei province is a farmer with no more than an elementary education but this is already his fifth model.
Number 5: Robots
Like flying machines, there were tons of stories of Chinese people making robots, so here are just two of the ones we found.
So this farmer outside of Beijing has created a mechanical rickshaw driver, which apparently actually pulls his rickshaw. It's pretty cool looking- but I wonder how practical it really is.
This robot is made out of scrap metal and second hand materials, but that doesn't mean it was cheap. It cost over $49 thousand dollars to make and was amazingly completed in less than a year. Now, I'm not sure what the creator was going for because this almost 7 foot robot can only perform simple movements and mimic human voices, but maybe it was meant as more of a museum item.
So these are just some of the amazing inventions that have come out of China, but there are a lot more out there.
So what do you think? Are Chinese just culturally innovative or is it just because there are so many people in China? Have you ever built anything like this or know anyone who has? Let us know down below and don't forget to like, subscribe and share this video.
SUBSCRIBE HERE:
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=THERUNLISTCHANNEL
Chinese citizens are incredibly resourceful and when they need something made, they can be professional DIYers
We here at the Run List compiled what we think are the top five citizen inventions in China.
Number 1: Submarines
There have been a number of inventors, mostly sea cucumber farmers, who have made submarine-like sea-crafts to make their job a little easier. One 37-year-old farmer in Hubei province did just that. This is Zhang Wuyi, testing his submarine in a pool, which media reports say can dive as low as 100 feet and travel for 10 hours.
Number 2: Apocalypse Ball
So yes, that is exactly what this is a ball that is supposed to survive an apocalypse—assuming that that means flooding. Actually the inventor calls it The Noah's Ark of China but I'm pretty sure he's not planning on fitting any animals in there. The inventor, Yang Zhongfu made the contraption to survive heat, water and external impact and it can house a family of three for ten months. What happens after ten months is anyone's best guess, but as you can see from the photo, it didn't weather it's first impact test so well.
Number Three: Bikes
This has got to be one of the most practical and creative inventions I've seen—a bike that can ride on the water. Now if he could also go on land with it that would be even better but I think this is just a water bike.
And the other contestant for this category is "The Number One Vehicle in the World". And I'm not just saying that. This bicycle was given that name by inventor Li Yongli, maybe because it is a one wheeled bicycle?
Number 4: Flying Machines
You would be amazed at how many Chinese people have invented things that fly, and those are not easy to do well so it's pretty impressive. Now we found helicopters, planes, jets—you name it, but this was the most original flying contraption we found. Now in this picture, it is hovering about 3 feet above the ground and it managed to stay there for about 10 seconds, but this was back in 2011, so by now I'm sure its flying all over the place. The inventor, Shu Mansheng from Hubei province is a farmer with no more than an elementary education but this is already his fifth model.
Number 5: Robots
Like flying machines, there were tons of stories of Chinese people making robots, so here are just two of the ones we found.
So this farmer outside of Beijing has created a mechanical rickshaw driver, which apparently actually pulls his rickshaw. It's pretty cool looking- but I wonder how practical it really is.
This robot is made out of scrap metal and second hand materials, but that doesn't mean it was cheap. It cost over $49 thousand dollars to make and was amazingly completed in less than a year. Now, I'm not sure what the creator was going for because this almost 7 foot robot can only perform simple movements and mimic human voices, but maybe it was meant as more of a museum item.
So these are just some of the amazing inventions that have come out of China, but there are a lot more out there.
So what do you think? Are Chinese just culturally innovative or is it just because there are so many people in China? Have you ever built anything like this or know anyone who has? Let us know down below and don't forget to like, subscribe and share this video.
SUBSCRIBE HERE:
youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=THERUNLISTCHANNEL
