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Lot Essay
Apparently unique 18th-century wood-block printed map of Guangdong Province, showing the extensive Pearl River Delta, and with early western annotations. The text under the map defines the borders of the province, stating that prefectures, counties and cities have been delineated, as well as the river systems and the mountainous areas, but some topographical detail has been omitted for the sake of clarity. The latest date mentioned in the text is the fourth year of the Qianlong Emperor, which provides a terminus post quem of 1739. The commentary states that the map was instigated by the Emperor; no doubt he was keen to establish administrative authority early in his reign.
The commentary states that this map was compiled from 88 separate maps, all updating the district gazetteers. These gazetteers had in fact provided a solid foundation for this cartographic endeavor: the Library of Congress holds a copy of Guangdong yutu from 1685, the oldest gazetteer of Guangdong, compiled by Jiang Yi (1631-1687), with 99 maps of the whole province, describing the prefectures and districts along with their history (G2308.G8 J5 1685). The present lot appears to have inherited much of its artistic style from this fore-runner.
The creator of this map notes the following changes that occurred during the Yongzheng period (1722 to 1735), just prior to the map’s production: the administration of Lianzhou in the northern part of Guangdong Province was changed to be under that of the Zhili Prefecture, while Chengyu County was moved under the eastern Jiaying Prefecture.
Xuwen County, Haiansuo, and Haikou are noted for their strategic positions for crossing the strait to Hainan Island, while distances are given between Hainan Island and Qiongzhou Prefecture (north-east Hainan Island) and the provincial capital Guangdong in miles. In the lower left corner of the map there is a special note on the distance between Dongjing (Hanoi) and Xijing in Annan (now Vietnam) which is given as 1,820 li, and the total north-south distance on the map is given as 2,890 li.
Although the cartographer is unknown, this commentary strongly suggests the mapmaker was extremely familiar with the south-west of the country, having knowledge of the sea-crossings between Guangdong Province and Hainan Island, giving detailed locations of Hainan's prefectures and counties, as well as the description of Vietnam.
That there was a new requirement for updated cartography of the region was self-evident. For over a millennium, Guangdong had extensive trade links with the rest of the world, initially with merchants from Persia and Arabia, and from the 16th century with European merchants coming northwards via the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. In particular, the Portuguese and British traded extensively through Guangzhou, and this map is annotated in English ‘City of Canton’ by an early hand. Macao, the first European settlement in the province, founded in 1557, is similarly annotated. The island of ‘Red Censer’, later Hong Kong, sits rather isolated to Macao’s east. The map is a testament to a part of the globe that was just beginning to experience truly global trade.
Today, Guangdong is the most populous province of China with over 126 million people (as of 2020), and boasts the largest economy in China and the third largest sub-national economy in the world with a GDP of US$1.95 trillion in 2021.
The commentary states that this map was compiled from 88 separate maps, all updating the district gazetteers. These gazetteers had in fact provided a solid foundation for this cartographic endeavor: the Library of Congress holds a copy of Guangdong yutu from 1685, the oldest gazetteer of Guangdong, compiled by Jiang Yi (1631-1687), with 99 maps of the whole province, describing the prefectures and districts along with their history (G2308.G8 J5 1685). The present lot appears to have inherited much of its artistic style from this fore-runner.
The creator of this map notes the following changes that occurred during the Yongzheng period (1722 to 1735), just prior to the map’s production: the administration of Lianzhou in the northern part of Guangdong Province was changed to be under that of the Zhili Prefecture, while Chengyu County was moved under the eastern Jiaying Prefecture.
Xuwen County, Haiansuo, and Haikou are noted for their strategic positions for crossing the strait to Hainan Island, while distances are given between Hainan Island and Qiongzhou Prefecture (north-east Hainan Island) and the provincial capital Guangdong in miles. In the lower left corner of the map there is a special note on the distance between Dongjing (Hanoi) and Xijing in Annan (now Vietnam) which is given as 1,820 li, and the total north-south distance on the map is given as 2,890 li.
Although the cartographer is unknown, this commentary strongly suggests the mapmaker was extremely familiar with the south-west of the country, having knowledge of the sea-crossings between Guangdong Province and Hainan Island, giving detailed locations of Hainan's prefectures and counties, as well as the description of Vietnam.
That there was a new requirement for updated cartography of the region was self-evident. For over a millennium, Guangdong had extensive trade links with the rest of the world, initially with merchants from Persia and Arabia, and from the 16th century with European merchants coming northwards via the Straits of Malacca and the South China Sea. In particular, the Portuguese and British traded extensively through Guangzhou, and this map is annotated in English ‘City of Canton’ by an early hand. Macao, the first European settlement in the province, founded in 1557, is similarly annotated. The island of ‘Red Censer’, later Hong Kong, sits rather isolated to Macao’s east. The map is a testament to a part of the globe that was just beginning to experience truly global trade.
Today, Guangdong is the most populous province of China with over 126 million people (as of 2020), and boasts the largest economy in China and the third largest sub-national economy in the world with a GDP of US$1.95 trillion in 2021.