An Overview on the Ancient Charts in China From the Fifteenth to the Eighteenth Century

• 

Details

Category: Historia de la Marina Civil

Published on Friday, 17 November 2023 00:27

Written by Administrator2

Hits: 550

 

 

 

https://icaci.org/files/documents/ICC_proceedings/ICC2001/icc2001/file/f04007.pdf

 

Zhu Jianqiu, Li Hanrong and Zhujin Tianjin Institute of Hydrographic Surveying and Charting, P.R China Fax: (8622) 28353537

 

Introduction

The cartography in China has passed through a long history of development. As early as more than 2000 years ago, there were topographic maps of high quality appeared. The marine cartography has also been developed quite early in China. It is recorded in the ancient books that there are original nautical charts appeared in the twelfth century; nevertheless, they haven’t been handed down. The earliest charts which have been preserved till now are Guide Chart for Seaway drawn in the fifteenth century. This paper discusses respectively several main ancient charts in China from the fifteenth to the eighteenth century.

Guide Chart for Seaway

Guide Chart for Seaway was included in Talking about Seaway as an annex. Talking about Seaway is a book similar to the current Sailing Directions. Talking about Seaway was written around the years from 1411 to 1415 without presenting the author’s name (Fig.1). The book summed up the predecessors’ experience in navigating. Guide Chart for Seaway is possibly based on the nautical charts drawn in a still earlier period, from twelfth century to the fourteenth century