The Late Qing Dynasty To The Republic Of China In New Society Study Of Map Compilation

In the Period of Republican China, China’s surveying and mapping technology had transformed from traditional methods to modern methods. Except for the official large-scale surveying and mapping, a number of the privately-owned map publishing houses had been founded, in which the Ya Xin Di Xue She(the association of geography in Xinhua of Asia) had the largest impact on the modernization of China’s cartography. However, few studies of its development, map compiling and publishing have been done. Taking the maps compiled by the Zou family as the main materials, this thesis has done systemic analyses of the content and characteristics of the maps. By doing so, it can reflect the modernization of science and culture in modern China.This thesis is divided into four parts. The first chapter is the background research, concentrating on the analysis of the origin and development of the Zou’s maps compiled since Zou Daijun and Yu Di Xue Hui. The second chapter counts up the numbers of the maps published by Ya Xin Di Xue She, and classified these maps by their usage and contents. Based on analyses of this classification, it reveals that the theme of the maps compiled by Ya Xin Di Xue She shifted from education purpose to practic usage. Small-scale maps, especially the pocket-maps account for a large proportion of all the more than200maps. Besides, maps showing boundaries and national humiliation were prevalent. The third chapter summarizes the process of the compilation of the Zou’s map varying from the advanced to the backward. Although the association tried to apply the most recent cartographic data and documents, the quality of compilation gradually fell behind after1930s, due to the confidential regulation of the official surveying and mapping results. Thus the map compilation changed with the background of the times and market orientation.In general, the map compilation and publication of Ya Xin Di Xue She filled the gaps between the market and the public needs to some extent and it also contributes to the transition of the development of China’s cartography.