The birthplace of the compass

Cishan Mountain (now Wu'an, Handan) during the Warring States Period.

The compass, called Sinan in ancient times, its main component is a magnetic needle mounted on a shaft. The magnetic needle can rotate freely under the action of the natural geomagnetic field and remain in the tangent direction of the magnetic meridian. The south pole of the magnetic needle Pointing to the geographical south pole (magnetic north pole), this feature can be used to identify directions.

Commonly used in navigation, geodesy, travel and military. The invention of the compass that physically indicates direction has three types of components, namely the compass, the compass and the magnetic needle, all of which are Chinese inventions. According to the "Ancient Mine Records", it first appeared in the Cishan area during the Warring States Period.

The compass is the result of ancient Chinese working people’s understanding of the magnetism of magnets through long-term practice. As one of the four great inventions in ancient China, its invention played an immeasurable role in the development of human science, technology and civilization. In ancient China, the compass was first used to determine directions in sacrifices, etiquette, military affairs, divination and Feng Shui.