Traditional technique of hand-made Wan'an compass lasts for 300 years

Wu Zhaoguang, an inheritor of hand-made Wan'an compass, makes a compass in Xiuning County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, July 2, 2025. (Photo: China News Service/Shi Yalei)

The compass, known as "luopan" in Chinese, was one of the four great inventions by ancient Chinese.

The old Wan'an Street in Xiuning County is the main production area for traditional hand-made wooden compass.

The process of producing a Wan'an compass consists of seven steps: making the base, polishing, inscribing the base with a grid, cleaning, writing, brushing with oil and installing the magnetic needle. Wan'an compass is famous worldwide for its accuracy and fine craftsmanship. In 2006, the craft of making a Wan'an compass was inscribed on China's state-level intangible cultural heritage list.

Wu Zhaoguang, an inheritor of hand-made Wan'an compass, makes a compass in Xiuning County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, July 2, 2025. (Photo: China News Service/Shi Yalei)

Wu Zhaoguang, an inheritor of hand-made Wan'an compass, makes a compass in Xiuning County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, July 2, 2025. (Photo: China News Service/Shi Yalei)

Wu Zhaoguang, an inheritor of hand-made Wan'an compass, makes a compass in Xiuning County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, July 2, 2025. (Photo: China News Service/Shi Yalei)

Wu Zhaoguang, an inheritor of hand-made Wan'an compass, makes a compass in Xiuning County of Huangshan City, east China's Anhui Province, July 2, 2025. (Photo: China News Service/Shi Yalei)