The invention of the compass promoted the development of China’s navigation. Combining the observation of the tide and monsoon, Chinese people created a set of very practical navigation technologies in their sailing. It was with such navigation technologies that feats at sea such as Zheng He’s voyage to the West happened, which promoted Chinese navigation to a new era. In the range of the world, the application of the compass in sailing facilitated Columbus’ discovery of the American Continent and Magellan’s voyage around the world afterwards, accelerating the development of the global economy and providing a necessary precondition for the development of world civilization.