[muawiyah]

The story that the Chinese didn't know what to do with gunpowder is in error. They went straight from fireworks and flash powder to large rockets which carried explosive loads used in warfare.

The multi-stage rocket was developed much later by Schmidlapp in Germany or Austria.

It's noteworthy that the broad outlines of cannons were developed by the Turks, and that the Europeans undertook to improve the design substantially. This effort resulted in today's modern handguns (and everything else).

[VOA]

The story that the Chinese didn't know what to do with gunpowder is in error.
They went straight from fireworks and flash powder to large rockets which
carried explosive loads used in warfare.

Citation please.
If James Burke and more than a few documentaries are all wet,
I'd like to know more.
Thanks in advance.