China had been producing astronomical instruments since the Warring States era (453-221BC) of the Zhou Dynasty, when the first armillary sphere was built. Improvements were made until Guo Shoujing, a famous Yuan-Dynasty astronomer, created the abridged armilla in 1276. With the exception of the extreme northern portion of the sky, the armilla could be used to chart the entire night sky.
中國自周朝戰國時代（BC 453-221）製造觀測天象的儀器（渾儀）開始，歷代皆有改進，到了 1276 年，元代天文學家郭守敬將結構複雜的「渾儀」簡化，除了北天極附近，整個天空可以一覽無遺。