Ancient art and technology combined in an artifact

Eastern Han Dynasty? Zhang Heng? "Waiting Wind and Earthquake Instrument"

The Waiting Wind and Earthquake Instrument was the world's first instrument for testing earthquakes. It was made by Zhang Heng, an astronomer of the Eastern Han Dynasty, in the first year of Emperor Shundei's Yangjia reign (132), and was made of fine copper, with a diameter of 2.7 meters, and its shape resembled that of a large wine bottle. Inside the geodesic instrument, there is a delicate structure, mainly for the center of the Duzhu (equivalent to a kind of inverted pendulum) and it is surrounded by the eight channels (8 sets of mechanical devices around the device in the pendulum). On the outside of the bottle, there are 8 dragons with small copper beads in their mouths, and under each dragon head there is a toad with its mouth open. If a strong earthquake occurs, the pillar will be shaken and lose its balance, which will touch one of the eight paths and make the corresponding dragon open its mouth, and the small copper beads will fall into the toad's mouth, from which the time and direction of the earthquake can be known. According to historical records, the Waiting Wind Earthquake Instrument had successfully recorded a strong earthquake that occurred in Gansu in 138 years, thus proving its accuracy and reliability.

Look at this picture, even if there is no function is also a very beautiful furnishings, not to mention that it is also so exquisite, can help people "foretell bad luck"!