Daniel Crouch Rare Books LLP

Complete Map of All-Under-Heaven of the Unified Everlasting Qing Empire- Price Upon Request

HUANG, Qianren Da Qing Wan Nian Yi Tong Tian Xia Quan Tu [Complete Map of All-Under-Heaven of the Unified Everlasting Qing Empire] This title has the "tianxia" or "All under heaven" in it. It is a variation I have seen elsewhere. It is dated the 19th year of the Jiaqing reign (1814).
[Suzhou,  Tiger Hill, Jiqing Tang (Hall of Accumulating Treasures), dated: 1814].
Large woodcut map printed in 16 sections on eight sheets, dissected and mounted on linen, housed within quarter red morocco pull-off slipcase, letted in gilt to spine.   
approximately 1330 by 2230mm. (52.25 by 87.75 inches).
An extraordinarily rare cartographic document that is based on research originally presented to the Qianlong emperor by Huang Qianren (fl. 1760-70) in 1767. The title of the map is as much a  political programme of the Qing as it is a geographical record. It shows China at the height of Qing power providing details on administrative divisions (with towns, cities and provincial capitals), topographical features, places of strategic significance and peripheral countries (like Outer Mongolia, Korea, Japan as well as Cochin-China). Much attention is given to the waterways and the source of the Yellow river is correctly located in the Bayan-har mountains. The Minjiang river is given as the source of the Yangtze. Mountain ridges and the Great Wall are depicted in elevation, desert areas are stippled. The legend to the left of the title gives political and geographical details on Korea, below that is a colophon together with the legend to the map. The map was printed in a two-colour printing process and constitutes an important development of traditional Chinese cartography following the introduction of Western land surveying techniques by the Jesuits. This is one of the largest and most attractive maps to have been printed in China during the Qing Dynasty.
Three states of the map are known: without date, is assumed to be the first. The "second" state, the present map, has a slightly altered title [Complete Map of All-Under-Heaven of the Unified Everlasting Qing Empire], and has the addition of an imprint "[Suzhou, Tiger Hill, Jiqing Tang (Hall of Accumulating Treasures), dated: Daoguang 3 [i.e.  1823]]". The third state is a stele rubbing.
10848 £400,000.00