Geographical Map of Taiwan

Qing dynasty (1644�1911), Qianlong period (1736�1795), undated, 1787 or earlier

Handscroll, ink and color on paper; approx. 40.5�40.6 x 437.9 cm

Inventory number: 232/1784�2/3638

This undated map of Taiwan in the handscroll format is one of the earliest surviving hand-painted maps of the island.� It was produced during the Qianlong period but no later than 1787, roughly a century after the Qing conquest.� As land is depicted on the upper portion of the map and water is shown below (as though it were being viewed from Fujian province across the strait), the scroll begins with the southernmost point of Taiwan and terminates with the northern end, covering a distance of approximately 400 kilometers.

The broad western coastal plain of Taiwan, which features largely in this map, has always supported most of the island's population; the locations of various counties, harbors, cities, towns, settlements, and minority mountain communities are indicated.� Taiwan's rugged anticlinal mountain ranges, with some 48 peaks over 3,000 meters high, are depicted in pictorial elevation using heavy mineral colors along the entire length of the map, while rivers flowing westward, cutting successive terraces along their descent and building up alluvial plains that slope gently toward the sea, are represented as well.� From 1683 to 1895, Taiwan was administered as part of Fujian Province; the island's capital Taiwan fu (at the site of present-day Tainan), had the status of a prefectural seat and is clearly represented on the map.� The numerous artillery stations and barracks represented suggest that this map may have been used for military purposes. It is very much a work of art, and the insular nature of Taiwan is appropriately conveyed through the exquisite rendering of gigantic waves.