Abstract
The rediscovery of the Selden Map of China (MS Selden Supra 105) in the Bodleian Library in 2008 provides an opportunity to reassess the history of Chinese cartography and debates about maritime dimensions of the Ming Empire. The map depicts a network of Chinese shipping routes, reaching from Japan to Aceh, Sumatra, and suggests previously unknown map-making techniques. In this article I draw attention to the map's unique components, notably its portrayal of shipping routes and vegetation, consider its sources, and suggest a possible patron and location of composition.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 37-63 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Imago Mundi |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue number | 1 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jan 2013 |
Scopus Subject Areas
- General Environmental Science
- General Earth and Planetary Sciences
Keywords
- Charts
- Chinese cartography
- Cosmography
- East Asia
- East India company
- Gabriel Tatton
- John Selden
- Li Dan
- Map construction
- Map of China
- Ming empire
- Navigation
- Piracy
- Quanzhou
- South Seas trade
- Taiwan
- Tokugawa Japan
- Zhang Xie
- Zheng He
- Zheng Zhilong