Chapter 14 Section 7 The Compass and Printing's Westward Passage

What deserves special attention is the westward transmission of several great inventions of ancient Chinese science and technology. First of all, it is the westward pass of the compass.As late as the 3rd century BC, China had discovered the iron-absorbing function of magnets.At the beginning of the 1st century AD, Wang Chong pointed out the characteristics of the poles of the magnet in "Lunheng" and invented "Sinan".Shen Kuo in the Song Dynasty has described four kinds of experiments in the records of "Mengxi Bi Tan", and used the compass in various situations.Among them, the water float method, using a magnetic needle to traverse the rushes to float on the water, was first used in the shipping industry.Zhu Yu, Shen Kuo’s relative, recalled the Chinese ships his father saw in Guangzhou at the turn of the 11th and 12th centuries in “Pingzhou Ketan”: “A boat master knows geography; Day, look at the compass in the dark." This is the first record of the compass being used in navigation.In 1123 AD, Xu Jing was envoy to Goryeo, and he also saw the use of a compass. "Zhu Fan Zhi" records the ships entering and leaving Quanzhou, and there has been such a comment: "Boats and ships come and go, but the compass is the rule, and the watch is only careful day and night, and the difference between life and death is a matter of life and death!" After the ninth and tenth centuries AD , Chinese merchant ships often haunt the Persian Gulf and the Arabian Sea.The Chinese sailors who were the first to use the compass in navigation spread this advanced technology through their contacts with their Persian and Arab counterparts.Some Chinese ships even employ captains and sailors from Arabia and other places, so it is more direct and convenient for them to learn compass technology.Therefore, Arab sailors quickly mastered the technology of nautical compass navigation.The word indicating the direction of the compass needle in Persian and Arabic: "Khann", which is the word "needle" for the direction indicated by the compass needle in the southern Hokkien dialect.

The navigation technology of the nautical compass was introduced to the Mediterranean in the 12th century and was adopted by Italian merchant ships.Soon, British, French and other sailors also used the compass to navigate.Western European nations such as Britain and France are accustomed to sailing and have a strong interest in compass navigation.As far as we know, apart from China, the earliest records of compass are not found in Persian and Arabic documents, but in English and French documents. In 1195, Alexander Neckam of England discussed the floating needle navigation technology in Europe for the first time in his book "On the Nature of Matter".The nautical compass he mentioned was also originally used to distinguish the course during the gloomy day or dark night.The method is to use a magnetized iron needle or steel needle to penetrate the straw and float on the water to indicate the north.It can be seen that the compass that was first introduced to Europe was the magnetic needle of the water float method described by Shen Kuo. Around 1205, the Frenchman Joao Provence mentioned the compass. In 1219, another Frenchman, James Tevery, also mentioned this new invention of practical value in the East.There is also a record of the floating needle compass in the Thomas Encyclopedia of Continprie.The "Compendium of Stories" written by the Persian Muhammad Offi, about the magnetic guide fish, is about 1230. An Arab writer in the second half of the 13th century described that when he sailed to Alexandria, he saw sailors using a magnetic needle to identify the direction, and the magnetic needle was usually floated on the water with wood chips or tin foil.He also heard from the sailors that the captains sailing in the Indian Ocean did not use this kind of wood-supported compass, but made a kind of magnetic fish with hollow magnets.After being thrown into the water, the magnetfish floats on the surface of the water, with its head and tail indicating north and south respectively.Obviously, this is also one of the early records of the Chinese compass going west.The introduction of the compass to Europe provided the necessary technical prerequisites for Europe's future geographical discoveries and the opening of new sea routes.

As important as the compass was the spread of printing to the West.Around the time of the Sui and Tang Dynasties, woodblock printing was invented in my country.In the 7th century and 40s, Master Xuanzang printed images of Samantabhadra, with an annual output of more than 10,000.Since the 9th century, the folk printing of books in our country has gradually developed.The collections of poems by the famous poet Bai Juyi and others were all published in Yangzhou and Yuezhou.The earliest printed book now is the "Diamond Sutra" engraved by Wang Jie in 868. Chinese woodblock prints naturally attracted the attention of people from Persia, Arabia and other places who came to China.This advanced technology spread rapidly westward. Among the large amount of paper and other cultural relics unearthed in the Fayum area of ​​Egypt in 1880, 50 Arabic printed materials of different periods were found.It has been identified that these prints are dated from the 10th century to the 14th century.The earliest one, printed around 900, contains chapters one to six of thirty-four chapters.All the above printed matter are Islamic prayers or scriptures etc.It can be seen from the appearance that these printed materials are very similar to the printed materials unearthed in mainland China and Turpan, Xinjiang.In the 1950s, another 30 boards with Arabic inscriptions were found in Fayum.These unearthed wooden boards are completely similar to Chinese engravings, and even the printing method is the same as in China. Use a brush dipped in ink to gently print on the flat paper, and print black characters on a white background or white characters on a black background. Some are even printed in red ink.

In the westward spread of printing, the Arabs only played an important intermediary role. After the mid-15th century, the earliest engraved books appeared in Europe.Venice became the printing center of Europe in the second half of the 15th century. In addition to printing cards, icons and other small prints, it also published many books.The first Arabic book to be printed with woodblocks was printed in Venice. Father Alexander Paganini, who was engaged in printing and publishing in Venice from 1485 to 1499, presided over the publication of Arabic, which spread to all parts of the Muslim world.This Arabic book, exactly like Chinese books, is printed on only one side of each page, using a brownish-yellow ink made of soot [tai] and glue.African Christians also went to Italy to print their classics.Ethiopian Christians planned to publish the "Bible" in Rome, and printed the "Psalms" in the "Old Testament" in 1513, and printed the "New Testament" from 1548 to 1549.

During the Qingli period of the Northern Song Dynasty (AD 1041-1048), Bi Sheng invented movable type printing, completed a leap in printing technology, and made another major contribution to world culture.The westward spread of Chinese printing to Europe is of great significance to cultural activities such as the European Renaissance and bourgeois enlightenment in the future.