1796 Dalrymple (1 results)
A chart of the islands to the southward of Tchu-san on the eastern coast of China.
1796 Dalrymple / Barrow Map of Tchu-san (Zhoushan), China; Macartney Mission
- Map
Seller: Geographicus Rare Antique Maps, Brooklyn, NY, U.S.A.Geographicus Rare Antique Maps
Contact seller4-star sellerVery good. Some foxing and discoloration around margins. Size 23.25 x 16.5 Inches. This is a rare 1796 John Barrow map of modern day Zhoushan (???; Tchu-San), China, prepared to illustrate the official report of the 1793 Macartney Embassy to China. The Embassy has been seen as a deeply consequential historical interaction betwee…n China and the British Empire which heralded the systematic crises China would face in the 19th century. A Closer Look The map covers the area roughly composing the southern part of Hangzhou Bay to the south of Shanghai. It includes detailed navigational information for charting the many islets, rocks, and shoals of the Zhejiang coast leading to Zhoushan and the walled city of Dinghai (here as Ting-hai). In addition to transliterations of Chinese names (such as Quee-san, Tygo-san, etc.), some of the English names are translations from Chinese, such as 'Buffalo's Nose,' known in Chinese as Niubishan (??? Buffalo Nose Mountain). The curious sketch at bottom-left was drawn by John Barrow from the Clarence , one of the ships of the Macartney Mission. Originally a French boat, the Clarence was purchased by the mission in Batavia after one of their original ships had problems. Tracks follow the Clarence as it entered and left the Bay on its way to Dinghai. Zhoushan China's Door to the Maritime World The archipelago that today forms Zhoushan Municipality has a recorded history stretching well into Antiquity, and the proximity of the islands to the mainland, and particularly to the city of Ningbo (just to the west of the area shown here), made them an ideal location for fisherfolk, traders, rebels, and pirates. Its location, jutting out into the East China Sea, has historically made it a destination for foreign travelers of many stripes, including the 9th century Japanese Buddhist monk Egaku (??), who founded a now-famous Buddhist pilgrimage site at Putuoshan (???, here as Poo-to, at top-right). In the Ming Dynasty, when a maritime ban was in place to dissuade widespread piracy and coastal raiding, Zhoushan was an important entrepot for trade between Chinese, Japanese, Southeast Asian, and Portuguese traders, the latter ensconced at the fortress of Shuangyu (on Liuheng Island ???, here as Low-Ang, near center) until being chased off by a Ming naval expedition in 1548. At the end of the 17th century, the newly triumphant Qing Dynasty ended the maritime bans and trade was encouraged at certain ports, including Zhoushan (Dinghai). English traders, among others, stopped at Zhoushan and gained some familiarity with the local geography, producing the earliest European charts of the area. But the establishment of the Canton System of Trade in the mid-18th century confined Western traders to Canton (Guangzhou). European traders had not forgotten Zhoushan, though, and it was a request of the failed British Macartney Mission of 1793 (discussed below) to have an island there reserved for British traders. When the First Opium War (1839 1842) broke out, the British moved to capture Zhoushan, which was then returned to China in exchange for Hong Kong, before being recaptured by the British later in the war (the Foreign Secretary Lord Palmerston considered Hong Kong to be of much lesser value than Zhoushan). With the rise of the treaty ports (including nearby Ningbo) and Hong Kong, Zhoushan's significance as a door to the outside world diminished. Within China, Zhoushan is practically synonymous with fishing; historically and today, fishing is the basis of the economy and culture of the islands. Appropriately, Zhoushan is home to the largest fishery in China. In recent years, the municipality has tried to develop other industries, such as shipbuilding, as well as tourism; traditional fishing villages are particularly popular. The Macartney Mission The Macartney Mission, or the Macartney Embassy, was a diplomatic mission by Great Britain to the Qianlong Emperor of the Qing Dynasty meant to expand British trading rights.
