A discovery of ancient trousers in China adds to its list of inventions

The contention that just about everything originated in China is becoming drearily common. Of course, India’s signal contribution is zero, but we do dispute China’s assertion that it cultivated rice first.

Besides, while it is unfortunate that chai pe charcha points to a Chinese origin for tea, India at least checkmates its claim to chess. That apart, though, ancient China is credited with inventing the compass, gunpowder, steel, paper (and paper currency), wine, pasta, nail polish and all manner of staples, old and new.

So, the recent discovery of the world’s oldest pair of trousers — custommade, that too — among some 100 pieces of clothing, in graves in China’s Xinjiang province elicits no surprise.

While the Occident will now have to come to terms with the fact that the main item of their attire has an oriental origin, India can take comfort in the fact that no sarees or dhotis have been unearthed in China.

Yet. The growing tribe of inventions ascribed to the Chinese underlines the immense fecundity of their imagination and industry, not to mention the superior quality of craftsmanship inherent in their apparent immutability.

It seems paradoxical, therefore, that parts of modern China are now known for mass-produced knock-offs that would probably not survive till the next year, let alone in the millennia to come!