Book contents
- Connected Cartographies
- Reviews
- Connected Cartographies
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Maps and Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Digital Book Companion
- Note on the Use and Transcription of East Asian Languages
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Lay of the Land
- 2 Translation and Treason
- 3 Translating the West
- 4 Material Matters
- 5 At the Limits of China
- 6 China’s Place in the World
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
4 - Material Matters
The 1603 World Map by Matteo Ricci and Li Yingshi and the Manchu Appropriation of Chinese and Western Cartographies
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 11 December 2025
Book contents
- Connected Cartographies
- Reviews
- Connected Cartographies
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Maps and Figures
- Acknowledgments
- Digital Book Companion
- Note on the Use and Transcription of East Asian Languages
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 The Lay of the Land
- 2 Translation and Treason
- 3 Translating the West
- 4 Material Matters
- 5 At the Limits of China
- 6 China’s Place in the World
- Epilogue
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Matteo Ricci’s entry into China at the end of the sixteenth century coincided with broader changes in the regional power dynamics of East Asia. Ming China was entering a period of dynastic decay. It was plagued by economic problems and pressed by the Manchus, a peoples from beyond the Great Wall. Chapter 4, covering the turbulent Ming-Qing inter-dynastic transition period between 1610 and 1644, tells the story of a version of Matteo Ricci’s world map, which was appropriated by the Manchus as they were forming their own identity and were planning to invade China. The chapter shows that the Manchus, coming in contact with Ricci’s world map created a practice of translation which they then applied to Chinese maps.
Keywords
Information
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- Connected CartographiesWorld Geography and the Sino-Western Translation of Knowledge, 1580-1842, pp. 121 - 148Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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