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[FULL MAP OF CHINA] 中华全图 Zhōnghuá quán tú [i.e. Full Map of China]

Item #545

[Nanjing]: Dōngshěng tiělù jīngjì diàochájú jiānzhì, 1928. 171x186 cm. Full map 1:2,000,000; Xinjiang 1:4,000,000; smaller-scale full map 1:10,000,000; Hainan 1:2,000,000. Relief shown by gradient tints. Some soiling, tears along creases.

Very rare. In Chinese. A large colorful map of China printed under control of the Eastern Railway Economic Survey Bureau during the Chinese reunifying. While this map was being composed, the capital moved from Beijing to Nanjing and this information was kindly mentioned on the bottom of map. The railways over East China and sea routes through 11 Chinese ports are indicated. Apart of the Russian lines, the Chinese railways were expanded for the trade by 6 countries, including Japan, France, Great Britain and the United States. Together they covered the eastern and southern parts of the country.
The map excludes the territory of North Manchuria, the last piece of reunifying, but shows the fragments with Xinjiang and Hainan. It is particularly interesting because the continuing military separatism was the serious problem facing the new government at that time. It had no authority over the spacious area of Western China and an unstable position on the islands. Xinjiang was under the strong influence of USSR because of the firm Russia-oriented international trade of this region. The local currency exchange rate depended on the Soviet Union and Xinjiang authorities had even raised the issue of its accession to the USSR. Another remarkable thing on this map is Outer Mongolia, separated from China but highlighted by color as its part (other countries have no color).

The only copy located at UC Berkeley.

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