Compass Use in Song Navigation

Timeline

1. c. 1041–1045Guangzhou port · GuangzhouCoastal pilots placed a magnetic needle floating on water in a bowl or on a pith float, calling it a 'water needle', to determine heading on overcast days without sun, moon or stars, compensating for the limits of traditional stellar and solar navigation and providing continuous orientation for ocean voyages.
2. c. 1046–1050Quanzhou port · QuanzhouThe compass became standard navigational equipment on seagoing ships, used alongside star-altitude measurement and solar observation; Song trade routes to the South China Sea and Indian Ocean matured, and the magnetic compass reduced ocean voyages' dependence on weather conditions, promoting the expansion of Song maritime merchant networks.