Connected cartographies : world geography and the Sino-Western translation of knowledge, 1580-1842 / Florin-Stefan Morar, National University of Singapore.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Morar, Florin-Stefan, Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Geography--China--History.

Geography.

Geography--Europe--History.

Cartography--China--History.

Cartography.

Cartography--Europe--History.

Discoveries in geography--Chinese.

Discoveries in geography.

Discoveries in geography--European.

China--Relations--Europe.

China.

Europe--Relations--China.

Europe.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xix, 256 pages) : digital, PDF file(s).

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, United Kingdom ; New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2025.

Summary:

In the 'Age of Discovery', explorers brought a wealth of information about new and strange lands from across the oceans. Yet, even as the Americas appeared on new world maps, China remained a cartographic mystery. How was the puzzle of China's geography unravelled? Connected Cartographies demonstrates that knowledge about China was generated differently, not through exploration but through a fascinating bi-directional cross-cultural exchange of knowledge. Florin-Stefan Morar shows that interactions between Chinese and Western cartographic traditions led to the creation of a new genre of maps that incorporated features from both. This genre included works by renowned cartographers such as Abraham Ortelius and Matteo Ricci and other less-known works, 'black tulips of cartography,' hidden in special collections. Morar builds upon original sources in multiple languages from archives across three continents, producing a pioneering reconstruction of Sino-Western cartographic exchanges that shaped the modern world map and our shared global perspective.

Contents:

The lay of the land: Chinese and European world maps before the encounter

Translation and treason: the demarcation controversy and the first translations of maps of China in Europe

The Westerner: Matteo Ricci's world map and the quandaries about European identity in late Ming China

Material matters: The 1603 world map by Matteo Ricci and Li Yingshi and the Manchu appropriation of Chinese and Western cartographies

At the limits of China: translating borders between China and the West

China's place in the world: Sino-Western maps and the transformation of Chinese cartography.

Notes:

Title from publisher's bibliographic system (viewed on 11 Dec 2025).

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

1-009-63607-3

1-009-63606-5

1-009-63604-9

OCLC:

1569829825