This information has been compiled by the work of Joseph Needham and his colleagues in a study of ancient Chinese books ... book by Robert Temple (The Genius of China: 3,000 Years of Science, ...

The invention of the compass promoted maritime undertakings, and its use soon spread to the Arab world, and thence to Europe. China's four great ancient inventions made tremendous contributions to ...

Primarily, the compass was used for geomancy for a long time before it was used for navigation Ancient Chinese alchemists realized that the magnetite ore would point towards a magnetic north. Their ...