| Event Report: The Backgrounds of The Chinese Maps: Their Reading and Understanding |
Prof. Robert Batchelor & Prof. Wang Qianjin: Workshop “Materiality and Colour in Early Modern Chinese Maps’ Production”
Between 2023 and 2024, the Institute of Chinese Studies (ICS) at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the École française d'Extrême-Orient, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Library co-organized The Backgrounds of the Chinese Maps: Their Reading and Understanding Workshop to create new perspectives in map studies through the exchange and cooperation in this field.
Maps are most often communication tools. To enhance our understanding of their significance and use, it is important to have accurate knowledge of the stages of their mapmaking process and of their languages, including the recognition of their codification systems. It is also essential to be aware that maps are, by their very nature, never definitive. They are the result of a particular era, temporal objective, or policy goal that has inevitably changed over time. Our reading of maps must take all these elements into account, and in particular, we must avoid our modern way of looking at things, so that we do not interpret elements and representations that we no longer understand as bizarre. |
Prof. Robert Batchelor, Chair of the Department of History and Director of Digital Humanities at Georgia Southern University and Prof. Wang Qianjin, second-grade professor and a doctoral supervisor at the School of Humanities of the University of the Chinese Academy of Sciences were invited to deliver the workshop on 12 December 2024 at the Lecture Theatre of ICS. Prof. Batchelor and Prof. Wang presented their research on two historical colour maps of coastal regions: the Guangdong Sheet Map (廣東全省圖說, ca. 1739) and the Map of Huai’an Prefecture (Late Ming).
The workshop concluded with a round-table discussion with cartographers and historians of China’s coastal regions, featuring Prof. Lai Chi Tim (CUHK), Dr. Paola Calanca (EFEO), Prof. Marco Caboara (HKUST), Prof. Florin-Stefan Morar (National University of Singapore), and Dr. Radu Leca (Hong Kong Baptist University). The workshop attracted a significant number of audiences, including CUHK colleagues and students, alumni, and members of the public. Attendees participated in the event either in person or via live broadcast, providing insightful feedback and contributing to the lively discussion. |
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