在大海上航行，除了要知道位置，還要知道航行的方向，這個時候就要用到我國的四大發明之一，指南針了。我國最早的指南針，叫做「司南」，司機的「司」，南方的「南」，在春秋戰國時期就有了。簡單說，它就是一個磁石做成的勺子，放在光滑的底板上，勺柄會自動指向南方。
When sailing on the sea, we need to know not only our location but also our direction, which led to the invention of the compass, one of China’s four great inventions. The earliest compass in China appeared during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period and was called Sinan. In simple terms, Sinan is a spoon made of a magnet and can automatically point south with its spoon handle when placed on a smooth plate.
到了北宋時期，隨著海洋貿易的興盛，中國人就率先使用指南針來航海遠行了。南宋時，中國的航海活動很多，指南工具需要更加精確，於是，出現了帶有方位刻度的指南針——羅盤。元代中國船隻上用的羅盤，都是「水羅盤」，也就是磁針在水中的羅盤，把磁針直接放在水裡，或者藉助木片，讓指南針浮在水面。大約公元13世紀，阿拉伯人在與中國的海上貿易中學會了使用羅盤，此後羅盤在歐洲普遍應用，極大地促進了世界範圍內航海事業的發展。
By the Northern Song Dynasty, driven by a flourishing marine trade, China pioneered utilizing the compass on the seas. During the Southern Song Dynasty, China’s nautical activities increased and required more accurate navigation instruments. Thus, a compass with an azimuth scale called the Luopan was invented. In the Yuan Dynasty, Chinese ships adopted the Shuiluopan, a compass with a magnetic needle worked in water. To use it, you need to place its magnetic needle directly into the water, or float it in water with aid of a piece of wood. Around the 13th century, the Arabs learned of the compass from maritime trade with China. Later, the compass was popularized in Europe, significantly promoting the maritime industry’s development worldwide.
大海航行，有了方向還不夠，還要能夠計時。
To sail on the sea, only knowing your direction is not enough. You also need a stopwatch.
最早，中西方航海的都以「天」為單位計時，這種計時還不夠精確。所以，到了明代，我們又用香來計時，就是一炷香的香。一炷香的時間，大概就是一個時辰，也就是兩個小時。而西方也開始採用沙漏來計時。到18世紀，西方發明了航海鍾，航海鐘不僅可以計時，還可以根據當地時間和零度經線時間的差異，來推算當地的經度，使得航海更加安全可靠。
In the early days, both Chinese and European voyages were timed by days, which was not accurate enough. In the Ming Dynasty, China started applying incense to time calculation while Europe turned to the hourglass for timing. The time to burn one incense stick is about two hours. By the 18th century, the navigation clock was invented in Europe, which not only kept time, but also calculated the local longitude based on the difference between the local time and zero meridian time, making navigation safer and more reliable.
最後，在左邊的展板上您還能看到一些著名的導航燈塔。燈塔也是重要的導航工具，在古代，最重要的兩座燈塔，泉州的六勝塔和亞歷山大燈塔。他們分別位於東方第一大港口——泉州，和西方第一大港口亞歷山大城。當年，馬可波羅從中國回義大利的時候，就是從六勝塔所在的泉州港出發的。
At last, we can see some famous lighthouses in the left panel. The lighthouse also played a vital role in navigation. The two most well-known lighthouses in ancient times were the Liusheng Lighthouse, located in Quanzhou, the largest port in the East and the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the largest port in the West. Marco Polo, on his return to Italy from China, set out from Quanzhou Port where the Liusheng Lighthouse is located.
馬可波羅回到歐洲之後一百多年，在明朝初年，發生了中國古代規模最大的航海事件——鄭和下西洋。接下裡，請您看看本展區中間的模型。
More than a century after Marco Polo returned to Europe, in the early Ming Dynasty, the biggest sailing event in ancient China was the Grand Voyages of Zheng He. Next, let’s take a look at the model in the middle of this exhibition area.