Between 2023 and 2024, the Institute of Chinese Studies at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), the École française d'Extrême-Orient, and The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Library co-organize The Backgrounds of the Chinese Maps: Their Reading and Understanding Public Lecture Series 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. For this lecture series, different types of maps have been selected to better distinguish their uses, traditions, and diffusion.

Dr. Cheng Yinong from the Department of History in Yunnan University was invited to deliver the fifth lecture of the series on 30 September 2024. Dr. Cheng shared his research on the topic of “The Use of Map in Imperial China Government Affairs”. More than a hundred CUHK colleagues and students, alumni, and public audiences attended the lecture in person or via live broadcast, contributing insightful feedback and engaging in enjoyable discussions.