Marine Compass

Timeline

1. c. 1044–1088Northern Song capital and surroundings · Central PlainsNorthern Song texts already recorded magnetite rubbing a steel needle to point south; sinan and magnetic needle technology gradually extended from geomancy and military fields toward practical navigation, laying the material foundation for the shipboard compass.
2. c. 1127–1279Quanzhou, Guangzhou, and other ports · FujianOverseas trade flourished in the Southern Song, and sea vessels were commonly equipped with wet compasses and direction dials; Zhu Yu's Pingzhou Table Talks and other works recorded that sea ships "observed the stars at night, the sun by day, and the compass in cloudy or dark weather," making the marine compass standard equipment for ocean voyaging.
3. 1321–1330Yuan Maritime Trade Office ports · ZhejiangThe Yuan continued and expanded maritime trade; under the Maritime Trade Office system, merchant ships traveled routes to Southeast Asia, South Asia, and East Africa, and compass navigation and compass-route records were already quite mature, becoming routine means for coastal shipping and ocean-going merchant vessels.
4. c. 1340–1433Chinese coast and South China Sea routes · South ChinaBetween the Yuan and Ming, compass-route texts such as Correct Method of the Compass and Favorable Winds were compiled in succession, systematically recording compass bearings, watch distances, and hour-based needle methods, marking the maturation of China's marine compass knowledge system.