Watercourse Exploration (Selected Qing Dynasty Maps from the Tianjin Library Collection)

Author: Tianjin Library Editorial Department
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: In the late years of the Guangxu reign, as the country opened its doors to the West under the influence of the spread of Western learning, patriotic scholars actively advocated the establishment of modern public libraries. Mr. Lu Jing, who served as the Director of Education in Zhili Province, petitioned Emperor Guangxu to establish the Zhili Provincial Library, which was approved and completed in the 34th year of the Guangxu reign (1908). The Zhili Provincial Library is the predecessor of Tianjin Library. At the beginning of its establishment, officials of both Han and Manchu descent donated their private collections, laying the foundation for the library's holdings. Through subsequent channels such as donations, transfers, and purchases, after nearly a century of development, the library's collection grew to over 3 million volumes, ranking it among the top ten libraries in China in terms of its vast holdings and influence. The rich collection of documents provided the prerequisite for our participation in the Qing History·Illustrated Catalogue project. We contributed nearly 7,000 historical images related to the Qing Dynasty to the Qing History·Illustrated Catalogue database project, covering various categories, with maps being particularly prominent. Therefore, for this publication, we selected maps as the first batch of books for the Illustrated Catalogue Series. This book includes two major categories of maps: waterway maps and historical site maps. It features eight waterway maps, including The Complete Treatise on River Management, The Yellow River Map of Shandong Province, The Complete Yellow River Map of Shandong Province, The Brief Complete Yellow River Map of Shandong Province, Outlines of Waterways, River Maps of the Baojing Prefecture, River Maps of the Ji, Zhao, Shen, and Dingzhili Prefectures, and River Maps of the Zhengding Prefecture. It also includes three historical site maps: The Dagudiao Fortress Map, The Imperial Procession Return Map, and The Illustrated Guide to Historical Sites in Wending and Weihai. In ancient China's agrarian society, water management was a critical factor. The Complete Treatise on River Management contains a wealth of hydraulic images, holding significant value. This book was compiled by Zhang Penghe during his tenure as the River Conservancy Commissioner in the 42nd year of the Kangxi reign (1703), gathering imperial edicts on inspecting river projects, memorials from successive River Conservancy Commissioners on managing the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Yellow River, the Huai River, and various springs. The book includes numerous maps of rivers and springs, totaling 24 in color, primarily The Complete Map of the Grand Canal, The Complete Map of the Yellow River, The Complete Map of the Huai River, The Wei River Map, The Lower River Map, The Five Waters Transporting Map, and the maps of various springs in Shandong Province. Each map is meticulously drawn, with detailed depictions of dangerous sections of the rivers, featuring various types of hydraulic structures such as overflow dams, rock dams, earthen dams, circular dams, cross dams, "bamboo cage dams," and brick and board dams. The book also records changes in river courses and water bodies along the routes, as well as the layouts of cities and towns and historical landmarks along the riverbanks, making it an important document for studying the management of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, the Yellow River, and the Huai River, as well as urban development. The waterway maps in Outlines of Waterways are supplementary illustrations to the "Qing Dynasty Waterways Treatise" titled Outlines of Waterways, compiled by Qi Zhao'nan in the 26th year of the Qianlong reign (1761). The Outlines of Waterways consists of 28 volumes, with approximately 670,000 words, but none of the existing versions in libraries include illustrations, making its value exceptionally high. From the title on the book cover's bookmark, "Qi Dazongbo's Waterways," it can be inferred that it was written by Qi Zhao'yu, who once served as Vice Minister of Rites. This suggests that the book was indeed authored by Qi Zhao'yu, and the title reflects how later generations referred to it. The book provides detailed illustrations of the convergence of various waterways, likely drawn based on Qi Zhao'yu's participation in the empire's cartographic surveys, ensuring their accuracy. Additionally, there are hydraulic maps from the late Qing Dynasty, including those of the Yellow River and maps of various prefectures, counties, and districts in Zhili. The management of the Yellow River has been a central focus of river management throughout history. The maps record specific dates of breaches and repairs, as well as the deployment of river guards, making them significant for studying the history of the Yellow River. The maps of Zhili prefectures and counties are drawn according to the principle of dividing districts, providing detailed and consistent depictions of local water systems. Each map meticulously illustrates the river courses of states and counties, with red annotations marking the construction of embankments, bridges, and diversions at key river sites, serving as a comprehensive record of water management at the time. Water management in the Qing Dynasty's Zhili region was a major issue, making these three maps particularly valuable. Moreover, the overlapping sections of these waterway maps allow for comparative study. Regarding historical site maps, the main ones are the colored illustrations The Imperial Procession Return Map, The Illustrated Guide to Historical Sites in Wending and Weihai, and the colored illustration The Dagudiao Fortress Map by Zheng Jicheng in the late Qing Dynasty. The Imperial Procession Return Map depicts the emperor's journey from the Northeast, passing through Fengtian Ningyuan Prefecture to Tongzhou, where he returned to the capital, covering 12 stations. At the beginning of each station, the upper right corner of the first page is marked with yellow silk labels indicating the station number and the distance to the imperial residence or large camp. Based on its binding style, the map is likely a derivative of the imperial palace's scattered treasures, possibly an original submission copy, further highlighting its value. The colored illustration The Illustrated Guide to Historical Sites in Wending and Weihai presents detailed descriptions and records of the eight scenic spots in Wending and the eight scenic spots in Weihai. Every scenic spot, village name, and distance is meticulously noted. Particularly noteworthy is the use of the then-social administrative unit "du" to record the number of villages, households, and population in each area, such as the number of villages, households, signs, and residents, reflecting depth down to the most basic social cells. This goes beyond the original function of topographic maps and becomes important material for studying social history. The colored illustration The Dagudiao Fortress Map by Zheng Jicheng in the late Qing Dynasty is accompanied by a note on the back by its collector Wu Yichang: "The Dagudiao Fortress was destroyed by the Eight-Nation Alliance in the Gengzi year. This map was likely an original design submitted at the time of its construction. Since the Republic of China, it has been scattered from the Qing court, and I obtained it from the small market in Xuan'an. I recall that after the Gengzi incident, this fortress was looted by foreigners and could not be rebuilt, a deep national humiliation. Keeping this map serves as a significant historical of our country. In the autumn of the Ji year, Wu Yichang wrote this in Yan's residence." The inscription "Vice Minister Zheng Jicheng respectfully drew" on the lower left corner of the front page confirms that the map was indeed an original submission copy. The map meticulously depicts the fortress and camp layouts, clearly showing the completeness of the fortress system at the time, making it valuable for studying military history. Comparing the ruins of Dagudiao Fortress after the Gengzi incident also reveals the fierceness of the battle. In addition to their historical value, these maps also possess artistic merit. Each colored illustration is meticulously painted in fine brushwork, resembling a scroll and pleasing to the eye.