Beijing dili quantu

Item Information

Title:

Beijing dili quantu

Title (alt.):

Complete map of Beijing

Description:

A capital and imperial city, Beijing demonstrates an intricate and hierarchical system of planning. It was designed to align with the four directions along a north-south axis and is composed of four cities, divided by walls. At the center is the Forbidden City, which housed the imperial palace. Access to the Forbidden City, outlined in red, was highly restricted, as demonstrated by the thick walls and moat surrounding it, and the many gates leading up to its entrance. Around the Forbidden City is the Imperial City. This part of Beijing included imperial gardens, man-made lakes, government offices, service buildings, warehouses, and temples. Outside of the Imperial City is the Inner City, which comprised the top half of the city, cut off by a wall in the middle. The wall surrounding the Inner City was about sixty-five feet thick at the base, forty feet thick at the top, and fifty feet high. To the south of the Inner City was the Outer City and the lower half of Beijing. The residents here ranked low on the hierarchical system and included foreigners. The Outer City did, however, include some notable areas, such as the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth, which are the two large spaces outlined in red at the bottom of the map. The walls around the Inner and Outer Cities stood for more than 500 years, until they were dismantled during the mid-twentieth century to allow for the construction of public transportation systems.

Cartographer:

Zhou, Peichun

Date:

1865

Format:

Maps
Manuscripts

Location:

MacLean Collection Map Library

Collection (local):

MacLean Collection Map Library

Subjects:

Beijing (China)--Maps

Places:

China > Beijing (Beijing Shi)

Extent:

1 map : color ; 94 cm x 64 cm

Permalink:

https://ark.digitalcommonwealth.org/ark:/50959/kh04p6723

Terms of Use:

Public Domain/No known restrictions on use. Contact host institution to download image.
Contact host institution for more information.

Place of origin:

China

Language:

Chinese

Notes:

Zhou Peichun was a professional painter in the late Qing dynasty, best known for his exporting paintings of folk life in late Qing Beijing.
Manuscript, ink on paper and linen.

Identifier:

MacLeanColl_33320_Beijing

Call #:

33320

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