Chinese Compass Research Paper
Introduction
In the ancient era china has made many major developments and inventions. The most famous inventions are the Four Great Inventions. And one of the four great inventions is the compass. It was in the ancient era, during the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC), in 220BC when the first compasses were probably made. In this essay I will cover important points on the compass’s history, which mainly involve its origins and how and why it was invented. This essay will also state the effects it has on people in the ancient era and how it has developed over the years and why it is considered such a great invention.
Origins of the Compass The compass originated in the Qin Dynasty. Apart from being a navigation tool throughout the centuries, it is …show more content…
However, according to Daniel Boorstin in The Discoverers, the compass was also used and evolved from the game chess, where it was used to unravel the meaning of the universal forces, Yin and Yang. The ladle-like pointer was made in lodestone after the Chinese had found out of the material’s seemingly mystical properties. It was during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), while mining ores and melting copper and iron, that they chanced upon the natural magnetite. The “spoon” was spun around as a divine object according to the rules of the …show more content…
The Chinese compasses made use of lodestone, a natural mineral that attracts iron and other metals. Then, in the 8th century AD, Chinese scholars found a way to magnetise a needle. Following that, they suspended the needle in air by a thread or floated it in water. This turned out to be a much more lightweight and portable compass. Now, it has been replaced by a small magnetised piece of metal mounted on a pin and has many variations of sizes. Another change was its design. As mentioned in one of the above points, the bronze plate that the spoon was placed on depicted many divine features. All these features were carved onto a rosewood platform. Apart from being an ordinary compass, the Chinese compass can also be a beautiful piece of home décor and Feng Shui. This is what makes it such an elegant work of art--being able to engrave Chinese traditions and beliefs into their pieces of work. However now, the compasses that we see are just ordinary tools of navigations, without any trace of art mentioned earlier. Time has caused the compass to change from a spoon on a bronze plate with carvings to a small, portable tool. Of course, it is much more convenient to carry around nowadays but personally I think I would be nicer if we could bring some form of art into our busy
In the ancient era china has made many major developments and inventions. The most famous inventions are the Four Great Inventions. And one of the four great inventions is the compass. It was in the ancient era, during the Qin Dynasty (221-206BC), in 220BC when the first compasses were probably made. In this essay I will cover important points on the compass’s history, which mainly involve its origins and how and why it was invented. This essay will also state the effects it has on people in the ancient era and how it has developed over the years and why it is considered such a great invention.
Origins of the Compass The compass originated in the Qin Dynasty. Apart from being a navigation tool throughout the centuries, it is …show more content…
However, according to Daniel Boorstin in The Discoverers, the compass was also used and evolved from the game chess, where it was used to unravel the meaning of the universal forces, Yin and Yang. The ladle-like pointer was made in lodestone after the Chinese had found out of the material’s seemingly mystical properties. It was during the Spring and Autumn Period (770-476BC), while mining ores and melting copper and iron, that they chanced upon the natural magnetite. The “spoon” was spun around as a divine object according to the rules of the …show more content…
The Chinese compasses made use of lodestone, a natural mineral that attracts iron and other metals. Then, in the 8th century AD, Chinese scholars found a way to magnetise a needle. Following that, they suspended the needle in air by a thread or floated it in water. This turned out to be a much more lightweight and portable compass. Now, it has been replaced by a small magnetised piece of metal mounted on a pin and has many variations of sizes. Another change was its design. As mentioned in one of the above points, the bronze plate that the spoon was placed on depicted many divine features. All these features were carved onto a rosewood platform. Apart from being an ordinary compass, the Chinese compass can also be a beautiful piece of home décor and Feng Shui. This is what makes it such an elegant work of art--being able to engrave Chinese traditions and beliefs into their pieces of work. However now, the compasses that we see are just ordinary tools of navigations, without any trace of art mentioned earlier. Time has caused the compass to change from a spoon on a bronze plate with carvings to a small, portable tool. Of course, it is much more convenient to carry around nowadays but personally I think I would be nicer if we could bring some form of art into our busy