A 19th century Chinese rubbing of the Southern Song Dynasty 1137 AD Yu Ji Tu 禹跡圖, or Map of the Tracks of Yu Gong. The Yu Ji Tu is one of the earliest and most important Chinese maps ever produced. Issued at a time when European cartographers were producing only vague unscientific T-O style religious map, this Chinese map exhibits a cartographic accuracy and meticulousness comparable to 20th century mapmaking. This is the earliest map to employ a 'Ji Li Hua Fang' rectilinear grid system. The Yu Ji Tu stands out for its precise illustration of China's coasts and complex inland river system, highlighting the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers with their many tributaries. The significance of this map cannot be understated, prompting the British historian Joseph Needham to describe it as,the most...[ Read more ]

A 19th century Chinese rubbing of the Southern Song Dynasty 1137 AD Yu Ji Tu 禹跡圖, or Map of the Tracks of Yu Gong. The Yu Ji Tu is one of the earliest and most important Chinese maps ever produced. Issued at a time when European cartographers were producing only vague unscientific T-O style religious map, this Chinese map exhibits a cartographic accuracy and meticulousness comparable to 20th century mapmaking. This is the earliest map to employ a 'Ji Li Hua Fang' rectilinear grid system. The Yu Ji Tu stands out for its precise illustration of China's coasts and complex inland river system, highlighting the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers with their many tributaries. The significance of this map cannot be understated, prompting the British historian Joseph Needham to describe it as,...the most outstanding map in the world at that time, and one of the greatest achievements of the Song Dynasty cartographers.Although the stele dates to 1137, the contents of the map suggest earlier cartography dating to 1080 -1093. Coverage of the map extends from the Bohai See and the Shandong Peninsula to Hainan and from, roughly, Sichuan, to the South China Sea. The precise grid, for which the map is most famous, breaks China into squares of 100 Li (roughly 31 miles). The coastline, the Yellow River, the Yangtze River and its tributaries, Taihu Lake, Dongting Lake and Poyang Lake are highlighted. This map identifies roughly 380 administrative districts, nearly 80 rivers, 70 mountains, and 5 lakes.