Bei zhong xiang lu, literally meaning "incense burner in the quilts," is a delicate ball-shaped device invented in ancient China. The incense burner could be placed in the quilts for the purposes of warming and perfuming, hence its name.

The most prominent feature of the burner is that no matter how the device rolls, the incense burned inside the device can remain horizontal, meaning there is no danger that the burning incense could fall out.

There are usually two or three layers of homocentric (having the same center) balls, and each inner layer is linked to the outer layer with two axes. The axis on one layer forms a right angle to the axis next to it. Then with the use of gravity, the hemisphere-shaped ball in the center where incense is burned can remain horizontal no matter how the burner rolls.

Not only are the incense burners fine artistic works; they are also devices of high mechanic values. The modern navigation device on the plane and the compass in ships actually apply the same mechanic rules. In this case, no matter how bumpy it gets on a ship or plane might be, the compass positioned in the center can remain horizontal.

The earliest record of the bei zhong xiang lu appeared in an article written by Sima Xiangru, a famous literati in the West Han Dynasty (206BC-24AD). The largest burner unearthed so far was found in Northwest China's Shaanxi Province at a Tang Dynasty (618-907) site. The burner, made of silver, has a diameter of 128 millimeters.

A similar design by Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) first appeared in the West more than one thousand years later. However, the prominent invention in China was only used as a daily utensil, while the Europeans began to use it in the gyroscope in the 16th century.

Author: Jeff

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