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Large folding colour map of Asia, centred on China, highlighting the encroaching imperial spheres of Britain, France, America, Russia, Japan, and Germany to a lesser extent. Scale of 1:6,969,900 (110 miles to 1 inch). Dissected into 36 linen backed panels, measuring 68.5 x 102.5cm, folds into cloth-covered case, measuring 17.5 x 12.5cm. Linen backing a little browned, case little worn, overall in very good condition. Issued following the adoption of the Anglo-Japanese Alliance, and predating the outbreak of the Russo-Japanese War, the tension surrounding Russia's interest in the region is made apparent through the marking in red of railways (both real and hypothetical), with particular attention to Russia's apparent plans for expansion into Manchuria, Inner Mongolia, Korea, and Western China. Of note is the inclusion of the completed Trans-Manchurian branch of the Trans-Siberian Railway between Chita and Harbin, branching to Port Arthur and Vladivostok, as well as the planned connections between Shenyang and Seoul, a western route between Hailar and Beijing, and an ambitious line extending from Kokand through Xinjiang and Gansu to Lanzhou marked as "a Russian Project". Other planned though incomplete routes such as the Beijing-Hankou railway, Guangzhou-Hankou railway, and the French-led Yunnan-Haiphong railway are also marked. In large part, the border between British India and the Qing dynasty appears to have stabilised, though the border delineation around Aksai Chin, Upper Burma and Arunachal Pradesh remains unsettled. Although the bulk of Arunachal Pradesh is marked as "Unsurveyed Country Inhabited by Native Tribes" and nominally independent, Tawang is shown as Qing territory. Seller Inventory # 216100
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