Chinese water powered looms?

[Faeelin]

In a book I own called Guns, Germs, and Steel, the author mentiosn how when Chiense turned inward, they gave up (this is early to mid 15th century mind you) a loom that was operated by running water.

Has anyone heard of this before? And if so, what were the implications of this? It appears to be more of a novelty tahn anything else.

 

[Aetius]

No big implications people took advantage of what they had.
Nothing special similar things existed in the west. You have wind mills, water powered pumps, hammers and saws and so on. My favorite is the water powered watch factory built in Sweden

 

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The history of the textile industry could have been completely different if in the 12th Century, fully 500 years before the Industrial Revolution, the Chinese had had the foresight to develop their technology further. Water driven spinning machines used for producing hemp yarn were already in widespread use and could have been adapted quite easily to cotton. They also had a thriving iron industry, but both were allowed to stagnate under a restrictive system of government.