China — Robert Wilkinson, 1794

Original Antique Engraved Map with Hand-Colored Provincial Boundaries

An attractive and finely detailed late eighteenth-century engraved map of China, published in London by Robert Wilkinson and engraved by Thomas Conder. Titled China, Drawn from the Latest & Best Authorities, the map depicts the Chinese Empire during the Qing dynasty, with numerous provinces individually identified and distinguished by attractive hand coloring.

The map extends from Tibet and the western interior of China eastward to Korea, the Yellow Sea, and the islands of Japan, and southward to Tonkin, the Gulf of Tonkin, and the island of Hainan. Formosa (Taiwan) and the Ryukyu Islands are also included.

Historical Background — China under the Qing Dynasty

Published during the final years of the reign of the Qianlong Emperor (1735–1796), this map represents China near the height of the Qing dynasty’s eighteenth-century territorial power.

During the Qianlong reign, the Qing Empire had expanded significantly into Central Asia, incorporating Xinjiang and consolidating its influence over Tibet and Mongolia. By the 1790s, the Qing state governed an enormous and culturally diverse territory extending far beyond the traditional Chinese heartland.

The map provides an interesting European representation of this extensive empire, distinguishing the established Chinese provinces from the surrounding regions of Tartary, Mongolia, and Tibet.

Its publication also coincided with increasing British commercial and diplomatic interest in China. In 1793, Lord Macartney led a major British embassy to the Qianlong court, seeking expanded trade privileges and formal diplomatic relations.

Although the embassy failed to achieve its principal commercial objectives, it represented an important episode in the developing relationship between Britain and Qing China.

The Great Wall, Gobi Desert and Northern Frontier

One of the most notable features is the depiction of the Great Wall of China, shown across the northern frontier of the traditional Chinese provinces.

The wall is represented as an extensive geographical feature separating the densely settled provinces from the regions associated with Mongolia and Tartary.

To the northwest, the vast desert is identified as the Great Desert of Cobi or Shamo, preserving early European geographical terminology for the Gobi Desert.

The map also includes numerous rivers, mountain ranges, settlements, and provincial boundaries throughout northern and western China.

Korea, Formosa and the Eastern Seas

The Korean peninsula is prominently represented to the northeast, with its coastline and numerous settlements identified.

The surrounding waters are labeled Sea of Corea, a particularly interesting example of eighteenth-century European maritime nomenclature.

Farther south, the island of Formosa, now Taiwan, is depicted off the southeastern coast of China.

The map also identifies the islands of the Ryukyu chain, including the historically named Liqueo Island, together with portions of southern Japan.

The Yellow Sea, Gulf of Nanking, and adjoining waters are prominently engraved.

Chinese Provinces and Historical Geography

The map is densely engraved with the traditional provinces of China, many individually distinguished by hand-colored boundaries.

Numerous provincial capitals, towns, rivers, mountains, and regional names appear throughout the country, providing a detailed representation of Chinese geography as understood by European cartographers at the close of the eighteenth century.

The Yangtze and Yellow River systems are particularly prominent, together with the extensive waterways of southern China.

The map also includes the coastal provinces associated with China’s important maritime commerce, including the region surrounding Canton, the principal center of European trade with China during much of the eighteenth century.

Robert Wilkinson and Thomas Conder

Robert Wilkinson (1752–1825) was an important London map publisher whose atlases and geographical publications appeared during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

His General Atlas brought together detailed maps of the principal countries, empires, and geographical regions of the world, reflecting the growing European interest in global geography, commerce, and exploration.

The engraving is credited to Thomas Conder, an accomplished London engraver who worked with several leading British map publishers.

The map is finely executed, with detailed lettering, carefully delineated provincial boundaries, numerous rivers and mountain ranges, and a decorative compass rose in the East China Sea.

Attractive hand coloring distinguishes the principal provinces and surrounding territories.

Collector Interest

An appealing original eighteenth-century map for collectors of Chinese history, Qing dynasty cartography, Korea, Taiwan, the Great Wall of China, and early European maps of East Asia.

Its detailed provincial geography, depiction of the northern frontier, and inclusion of Korea, Formosa, and the surrounding seas make it a particularly interesting record of East Asia during the closing years of the eighteenth century.

Condition: Very Good antique condition, with clean paper, broad margins, light age toning, scattered minor spotting, and some trivial marginal irregularities. Attractive hand coloring and a clear engraved impression. Please examine the accompanying photograph for condition and detail.

Date: 1794.

Publisher: Robert Wilkinson, London.

Engraver: Thomas Conder.

Source: Wilkinson’s General Atlas.

Map sheet measures c. 10 3/8 “ H x 13 1/4 “ W.

printed engraved area c. 8 1/2“ H x 10 3/4“W.

R36863