Chinese Compass Navigation

Timeline

1. c. 1100–1300Quanzhou · QuanzhouThe Song dynasty already recorded 'water compasses' with magnetic needles floating on the surface; Yuan-era texts such as Pingzhou Kutan describe merchant ships using the compass to set their course, and ports like Quanzhou became early centers of compass navigation practice.
2. 1405–1630Longjiang, Nanjing · NanjingZheng He's voyages and documents such as the Zheng He Navigation Chart systematically recorded compass courses (needle bearings) and star-height fixing (astronomical positioning); water and dry compasses were used together, forming China's distinctive composite navigation system.
3. 1631–1640Yuegang, Fujian – Southeast Asia · ZhangzhouUnder the late Ming maritime prohibition, merchants at ports such as Yuegang still took compasses to sea in the 1630s, sailing routes to Luzon, Siam, Bantam, and Japan. Combined with compass-route charts and monsoon knowledge, the compass sustained the ongoing East Asia–Southeast Asia private trade network.