MAPPA SINICA

Early Western Maps of China

The representation of China in maps evolved over the centuries. In this website, you can explore high quality images of all the 127 maps of China printed in Europe between 1584 and 1735. Their stories reveal how the different map-making traditions of Europe and China changed and influenced each other. This website accompanies “Regnum Chinae: The Printed Western Maps of China to 1735”, the first comprehensive reference work on maps of China printed in Europe. This is the fruits of a rigorous research project in HKUST Library in 2016-2021 conducted by Dr. Marco Caboara, and supported by the generous donation of Dr. Ko Pui Shuen. Researchers, scholars and collectors will find this research work valuable; at the same time, anyone with curiosity for maps, history and geography can enjoy navigating among the images and discovering the stories behind.