Compass - Inventions and Technology - Ancient China

Chinese Life and Culture


China boasts such a rich history that its culture is infinitely complex
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Ancient China Homepage

The Land of China

Geography

Major Chinese Cities

Section 1.3

Section 1.4

Section 1.5

Section 1.6

Section 1.7

Section 1.8

Section 1.9

Section 1.10

Section 1.11

Section 1.12

Section 1.13

Section 1.14

Section 1.15

Dynasties

Shang Dynasty

Zhou Dynasty

Qin Dynasty

Han Dynasty

Section 2.5

Section 2.6

Section 2.7

Section 2.8

Section 2.9

Section 2.10

Section 2.11

Section 2.12

Section 2.13

Section 2.14

Section 2.15

Inventions & Technology

Pottery & Porcelain

Silk

Compass

Paper & Printing

Gunpowder

Section 3.6

Section 3.7

Section 3.8

Section 3.9

Section 3.10

Section 3.11

Section 3.12

Section 3.13

Section 3.14

Section 3.15

Famous Chinese Figures

Emperor Qin Shi Huang

Sun Tzu

Empress Wu Zetian

Zheng He

Aixinjueluo Puyi

Section 4.6

Section 4.7

Section 4.8

Section 4.9

Section 4.10

Section 4.11

Section 4.12

Section 4.13

Section 4.14

Section 4.15

Famous Chinese Landmarks

The Great Wall of China

The Terracotta Army

The Forbidden City

The Three Gorges Dam

Beijing's Olympic Marvels

Section 5.6

Section 5.7

Section 5.8

Section 5.9

Section 5.10

Section 5.11

Section 5.12

Section 5.13

Section 5.14

Section 5.15

Chinese Life & Culture

Chinese Horoscope

Chinese Calendar

Section 6.3

Section 6.4

Section 6.5

Section 6.6

Section 6.7

Section 6.8

Section 6.9

Section 6.10

Section 6.11

Section 6.12

Section 6.13

Section 6.14

Section 6.15

Religion & Philosophy

Confucianism

Buddhism

Taoism

Section 7.4

Section 7.5

Section 7.6

Section 7.7

Section 7.8

Section 7.9

Section 7.10

Section 7.11

Section 7.12

Section 7.13

Section 7.14

Section 7.15

Timeline

Section 8.1

Section 8.2

Section 8.3

Section 8.4

Section 8.5

Section 8.6

Section 8.7

Section 8.8

Section 8.9

Section 8.10

Section 8.11

Section 8.12

Section 8.13

Section 8.14

Section 8.15

Section 9

Section 9.1

Section 9.2

Section 9.3

Section 9.4

Section 9.5

Section 9.6

Section 9.7

Section 9.8

Section 9.9

Section 9.10

Section 9.11

Section 9.12

Section 9.13

Section 9.14

Section 9.15

Section 10

Section 10.1

Section 10.2

Section 10.3

Section 10.4

Section 10.5

Section 10.6

Section 10.7

Section 10.8

Section 10.9

Section 10.10

Section 10.11

Section 10.12

Section 10.13

Section 10.14

Section 10.15

Section 11

Section 11.1

Section 11.2

Section 11.3

Section 11.4

Section 11.5

Section 11.6

Section 11.7

Section 11.8

Section 11.9

Section 11.10

Section 11.11

Section 11.12

Section 11.13

Section 11.14

Section 11.15

Section 12

Section 12.1

Section 12.2

Section 12.3

Section 12.4

Section 12.5

Section 12.6

Section 12.7

Section 12.8

Section 12.9

Section 12.10

Section 12.11

Section 12.12

Section 12.13

Section 12.14

Section 12.15

Section 13

Section 13.1

Section 13.2

Section 13.3

Section 13.4

Section 13.5

Section 13.6

Section 13.7

Section 13.8

Section 13.9

Section 13.10

Section 13.11

Section 13.12

Section 13.13

Section 13.14

Section 13.15

Section 14

Section 14.1

Section 14.2

Section 14.3

Section 14.4

Section 14.5

Section 14.6

Section 14.7

Section 14.8

Section 14.9

Section 14.10

Section 14.11

Section 14.12

Section 14.13

Section 14.14

Section 14.15

Section 15

Section 15.1

Section 15.2

Section 15.3

Section 15.4

Section 15.5

Section 15.6

Section 15.7

Section 15.8

Section 15.9

Section 15.10

Section 15.11

Section 15.12

Section 15.13

Section 15.14

Section 15.15

Inventions and technology

Compass

The world’s first compass was made in China during the Qin Dynasty. It was made with lodestone – an iron oxide-based mineral that aligns itself in a north-south direction due to the Earth’s magnetic field – which was commonly used in Chinese geomancy and fortune-telling.

The use of a compass was recorded in several Chinese texts including a 4th century book entitled the Book of the Devil Valley Master, which describes its use in pathfinding. The first person officially recorded to have used the compass as a navigational aid was Chinese admiral Zheng He, who made eight sea voyages between 1405 and 1433.

Photos: DCI