THE GREAT JESUIT SURVEYS OF THE PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA, 1705-1759

摘要

Although the Western world had limited knowledge of China by the first century A.D., it took over fifteen hundred years before an accurate portrayal of that ancient realm began to appear on maps produced by Europeans. The catalyst for systematic collection of information concerning the geography of East Asia was the arrival in China of Jesuit missionaries, led by Father Matteo Ricci, in A.D. 1583. These highly educated Renaissance men began to promote Christian religion through a strategy designed to impress Chinese officials and literati with the breadth and depth of contemporary European knowledge, especially in the sciences. One facet of this strategy was the introduction of Western techniques of regional survey and cartographic representation. The preeminence of the Jesuit surveyors and cartographers was culminated by the Great Jesuit Surveys of China from 1705 to 1759. During this period, three surveys took place, and they covered much of Manchu China. Besides providing the Emperors K'ang-hsi and his grandson Ch'ien-lung with a more comprehensive picture of their empire, the Jesuit Surveys also gave Europe the first accurate portrayal of China's geography. And, this representation was so close to the actual that it prevailed on maps of China until well into the twentieth century.