Map of Scenic Attractions Along the Yangzi River

Qing dynasty (1644�1911), undated, believed to date to 1867

Illustrated by Feng Shiji

Album of 68 leaves mounted as a handscroll; first frontispiece section by Ouyang Zibin in ink on pale pink paper; 25.3 x 60.3 cm; second frontispiece section by Feng Shiji in ink on paper: 25.3 x 30.3 cm; map section in ink and light color on paper: 25.3 x 1120.6 cm; colophon section by Feng Shiji in ink on paper: 25.3 x 592.8 cm

Inventory number: 074.2/(22)/1867/7474

At 5,550 kilometers, the Yangzi River is the longest in China as well as Asia, and the third-longest in the world. It rises in the highlands between Tibet and Qinghai and flows generally eastward through Tibet, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangxi, Anhui, and Jiangsu provinces before discharging into the East China Sea at Chongming Island, near Shanghai.

This unique sightseeing map of the river was painted in pale, subtle colors by Feng Shiji of Shanyin during mid-autumn 1867.� Originally folded accordion-style into a convenient size, its 68 leaves are now stretched out as a very long handscroll, graced with a frontispiece inscription in large characters by Ouyang Zibin.� It covers the middle and lower reaches of the Yangzi River from Shishou County, Hubei, in the west to Jiangyin County, Jiangsu, in the east; this stretch of the river has a great number of significant historic and scenic sites along its banks.� Unrolling the handscroll from right to left, the south bank of the river is at the top and north bank at the bottom.� Just as the river's scenery can be enjoyed from both sides of a boat, the map can be read from either the top or bottom edge, depending on whether the user is going upstream or downstream, and which side of the river is being observed.