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Song-Dynasty Compass Navigation
The Song systematized magnetic-needle direction-finding for sea navigation, with water compasses widely used on 13th-century coastal merchant ships, …
Timeline
- 1088–1119Northern Song capital and surroundings · Central PlainsShen Kuo's Dream Pool Essays recorded rubbing a steel needle with lodestone to point south and the phenomenon of magnetic declination, while Zhu Yu's Pingzhou Ketch recorded pilots using lodestone to point south, laying the theoretical foundation for the maritime compass.
- c. 1119–1201Coast from Guangzhou to Quanzhou · GuangdongPilots placed the magnetic needle in a floating water compass and combined it with recorded compass courses to determine headings on ocean voyages, making the compass an essential navigational device on sea ships.
- 1241–1250Sea route from Quanzhou to Southeast Asia · Maritime Silk RoadSouthern Song merchant ships relied on compass courses and sea-route texts like Shunfeng Xiangsong, sailing between Quanzhou, Guangzhou, Champa, Srivijaya, and Indian Ocean ports; the compass sustained the continued expansion of China's 13th-century maritime trade network.
Sources
- 梦溪笔谈 — 沈括 (1088)
- 萍洲可谈 — 朱彧 (1119)
- Needham, Science and Civilisation in China, Vol. 4 Part 1 — Joseph Needham (1962)