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Chinese CompassA ~ Z

Introducing the Chinese Compass (Si Nan)

The Chinese Compass, also called Sinan, is an ancient instrument used in China to tell directions. According to records, the origin of Sinan dated back to the Warring States Period (206BC-23AD), in present Ci Moutain, Hebei province. It is the original basis for the invention of compass, and the oldest south-pointing device in human history. Sinan is chiseled out of magnetic lodestone in the shape of a ladle or spoon. Its handle will point south when being put on a smooth plate used for divination, which contains 24 directions based on the magnetic meridian direction. During the last 2,000 years, there have been numerous interesting and exquisite directional devices created by the skillful craftsman; such as the Compass Chariot made by Ma Jun during the Three Kingdoms (220-280) period, the Compass Fish in the Northern Song Dynasty (960-1127) and the Compass Tortoise designed by Chen Yuanliang in the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279). The “Zhang Xianren Porcelain Figurine” unearthed in 1988 is a practical evidence to the fact that Sian is the ancestor and basic form of modern compass. The compass in real sense was created by a Chinese geomantic omen master in late Tang Dynasty (618-907), who originally used it for divination. The major material of the compass is magnetized steel needle, making up for the flaw that magnetism is easily lost in lodestones, of which Si’nan was made.

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