Dengfeng Observatory

The Dengfeng Observatory is the earliest existing astronomical observatory in China, built by astronomer Guo Shoujing in 1276 AD. The stargazing platform consists of two parts: a platform surrounded by a spiral path and a stone archway laid from the groove on the north wall of the platform to the north. The platform is in the shape of a square covered bucket, and the four walls are made of water milled bricks. The stone ruler on the Taipei side of the stargazer is used to measure the length of the shadow of the sun, so it is also known as the "measuring ruler". Due to its unique design, it became a historical witness to the highly developed astronomy of the Yuan Dynasty. The stargazing platform itself is a giant gnomon, which is an improvement of traditional pole based shadow measurement by Guo Shoujing. He creatively invented the "scenery symbol", which solved the problem of "high shadow illusion" during measurement and avoided the influence of the so-called half shadow of sunlight in physics. Thus, the precise timing of the twenty-four solar terms, especially the winter solstice and summer solstice, was determined.

The unit is designed for unsupervised public use: controls are recessed or shielded, moving parts are enclosed, and the interface is operable by a child of about six with no instruction. Where a screen is used, the language can be switched without changing the hardware, and the content can be replaced on site.