Learn more about Shen Kuo below

  • Shen Kuo compass

    Ancient Chinese Compass

    The first compasses were made of lodestone, a naturally magnetized stone of iron, in Han dynasty China. It was called the "South Pointing Fish" and was used for land navigation by the mid-11th century during the Song dynasty (960–1279 AD). (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Antic_chinese_Compass.jpg)

  • Shen Kuo Uniforms

    Official Uniforms

    From the Northern Song Dynasty to the Southern Song Dynasty. (https://chinesehanfu.tumblr.com/post/679892331053383680/official-uniforms-%E5%85%AC%E6%9C%8D-from-tang-dynasty-to)

  • Bamboo

    Bamboo Stems

    Tall, fast-growing grass with woody stems, known for its versatility and strength, widely used in various cultures for construction, furniture, and crafts. (photo: https://www.chinasage.info/bamboo.htm)

  • Han Dynasty Incense Burner

    Ancient Incense Burner

    The lid of an ancient Chinese incense burner shows mountains which may have inspired Shen to create 3D relief maps. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shen_Kuo)

Song Dynasty

The Song Dynasty is said to have begun when soldiers in the Chinese army no longer wanted to serve the emperor and they repeatedly asked their general Zhao Kuangyin to wear the yellow robe (that the emperor wore). He initially refused three times before taking the robe and becoming Emperor Taizu. During his reign much of China became united, however he weakened his army by choosing scholars to lead it. As a result, a group of people called the Jin were able to conquer the Northern Song.

Ancient China was the most advanced civilization in the world during the Song Dynasty (between 960 and 1279 CE), developing many inventions and advances in technology. It is often divided into two halves; the Northern Song and Southern Song.

Emperor Taizong

When the Northern Song was conquered, the son of the last emperor escaped to the South and set up the Southern Song in 1127 CE. He set up an agreement with the Jin, paying them a fee annually to keep the peace between the North and the South. This lasted for over 100 years before the Southern Song joined forces with the Mongols to defeat the Jin. The Mongols then turned on the Southern Song and gained control of all of China.

In this time there were crucial technological advancements, including the development of the magnetic compass, moveable type and gunpowder. The magnetic compass improved navigation and helped make the dynasty’s navy one of the best in the world. Moveable type meant that the Chinese could mass print books, paper money, playing cards and calendars. Gunpowder was initially used for fireworks but the Song discovered that it could be used as a weapon too in the form of bombs, rockets and fire arrows. The Mongols used these weapons against them when the dynasty fell.

In 1072 CE, Shen was made director of the Astronomy Bureau and was tasked with creating a new official calendar by the emperor. Whilst working on this, Shen set up a programme plotting the exact coordinates of the moon and planets three times a night for 5 years. He also tried to explain why the planets appeared to move backwards in the sky due to their position compared to the Earth and how they orbited the sun.

Shen Kuo’s other inventions & achievements

In addition to being the first person to discover that compasses point to the magnetic north and hypothesise about climate change, Shen Kuo achieved many things in a wide range of areas including map work, agriculture and astronomy to name but a few.

During his travels, Shen worked on creating 3D relief maps of the places he visited by using wooden plates and sawdust mixed with glue and melted wax. When he was first banished he produced maps of all Chinese territory whilst simultaneously writing down the coordinates and distances as he believed that this would allow the maps to be easily reconstructed if they were ever lost.

Shen took a keen interest in agriculture and water control. This was a big problem in China at the time with flooded land impossible to build or grow crops on. Shen developed new drainage technology, building dams and embankments, allowing him to turn large areas of floodland into farm land.