Why does the compass point north?

1. In ancient China, people used Polaris instead of compass. China is a country with advanced astronomy, which is located in the northern hemisphere. Since prehistoric times, people in China have been interested in the stars, planets and constellations in the sky, and are diligent in observing them. They are very familiar with the Big Dipper in the sky. Four of the seven bright stars form a barrel shape, and the other three form a barrel handle; With the help of the Big Dipper, we can easily find the dazzling Polaris located at the north pole of the celestial sphere. Pointing north with Polaris is the common sense of China people, the tradition of China people and the habit of China people. With this symbol pointing to the north, nothing can compete with it, nor is it allowed to compete with it, just as the sunrise points to the east.

2. Because of this, the "ancestor" of the compass was also made into the shape of the Beidou No.7 star, called Sina. Sina first appeared in Han Feizi in the Warring States Period, and "Wang Li and Sina seize the day and night first". In Lun Heng by Wang Chong in the Eastern Han Dynasty, the specific shape of Sina was described in detail, "The ladle of Sina (sound sháo) was cast on the ground and its guide (sound dǐ)".

3. After the invention of the compass, it evolved into a compass and was applied to navigation. In the book Zhou Ping Ke Tan written by Zhu in Northern Song Dynasty, the application of compass in navigation was recorded for the first time. Sailors know geography, but they look at the stars at night, the sun during the day and the compass at dusk. Later, in the Southern Song Dynasty, Fujian Road Shipping Agency (the government agency in charge of foreign trade at that time) mentioned in Zhao's "Fan Zhi Lu" that "the boat travels, but it is better to watch around the clock with a compass."