Peacock-tail-shaped travelling sundial and compass, Qianlong period (1736—95). Champlevé¥namel. 2.2×3.8×4.8 cm. The Palace Museum, Beijing.

Peacock-tail-shaped Sundial in Horizontal Style

Sundials were known in China from at least the second century BC, when the great historian Sima Qian wrote of one in connection with a gathering of astronomers who met to determine various matters relating to the calendar, the directions and the movement of the planets. This small compass, contained in an enamelled box shaped like a peacock’s tail, has a needle pointing south and marks inscribed with the characters for the two-hour periods of the day. It permitted its user both to tell the time and determine latitude.