Compass

Timeline

1. -200–1100Central Plains and Jiangnan · ChinaIn the Han dynasty, a spoon-shaped sinan of natural lodestone was used for divinatory orientation; by the Northern Song, compasses with magnetized iron needles set in water plates or needle plates appeared, and Shen Kuo's Dream Pool Essays recorded magnetic declination, as magnetic-needle navigation moved from occult arts toward practical direction-finding tools.
2. 1231–1240Quanzhou port · QuanzhouDuring the Southern Song's overseas trade boom, merchant ships at ports such as Quanzhou and Guangzhou were commonly equipped with compasses and needle-route books, using magnetic needles alongside stars and coastlines to navigate ocean routes; the compass was also used by Jianghuai naval forces for river-defense direction-finding, laying the foundation for the later Maritime Silk Road and East-West exchange of navigation technology.