Shen KuaKuoWade-Giles romanization Shen K’uo  ( born 1031
, Ch’ien-t’ang,  Qiantang [now Hangzhou, Zhejiang province],
China—died 1095 , Ching-k’ou  Jingkou [now Zhenjiang, Jiangsu
province] )  Chinese astronomer, mathematician, and high
official whose famous work Meng ch’i pi t’an (“Dream Pool
Essays” Mengxi bitan (“Brush Talks from Dream Brook” [Dream
Brook was the name of his estate in Jingkou]) contains the first
reference to the magnetic compass, the first description of
movable type, and a rather fairly accurate explanation of the
origin of fossils. The Meng ch’i pi t’an Mengxi bitan also
contains Shenʾs Shen’s observations on such varied subjects as
mathematics, astronomy, atmospheric phenomena, cartography,
optics, and medicine. Shen wrote his account produced a number
of works, including commentaries on the Confucian Classics,
atlases, diplomatic reports, and a variety of monographs. His
Mengxi bitan was written relatively late in life, after he had
been banished removed from office following the def