SUNDERLAND.- The Sunderland Collection has acquired one of only three known surviving copies of A Complete Map of All Under Heaven by Cao Junyi (1644). The other two copies are in the National Archive, Beijing and the British Library, London. This world map is significant for its rarity, and for melding European and Chinese cartographic traditions in a richly detailed and highly skilled manner. It was produced at a pivotal moment in Chinese history during the last days of the Ming Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty that followed would last until 1912.

The Sunderland Collection is providing unprecedented access to this rare woodblock map, which can be viewed in high resolution on its pioneering digital platform Oculi Mundi. Scholarship commissioned by The Sunderland Collection has also been published online, comprising an essay by PhD candidate Man Zheng (Freie Universität Berlin) and an interactive tour by Dr Mario Cams of the University of Leuven.

Created during a period of great change in 1644, A Complete Map of All Under Heaven is the last Ming Dynasty world map. It represents the fusion of two distinct cartographic traditions, and is the first Chinese world map (as opposed to a Sino- Jesuit map) to adopt longitude and latitude.

The map was printed by Cao Junyi in Nanjing, a city of great historical importance. While employing Chinese cartographic conventions such as the detailed categorisation of administrative subdivisions, Cao also introduced European influences – in particular from a world map by the Dutch cartographer Abraham Ortelius, that had been re-printed in Nanjing by the Jesuit missionary Matteo Ricci in the early sixteenth century. Cao’s map was privately published, and intended for popular use rather than as an exclusive product for the elite; it is printed on delicate paper, to be folded into a cover. Laid out flat, it measures just over 1.2 metres square.

Helen Sunderland-Cohen, custodian of The Sunderland Collection, said: “We feel very privileged to have acquired this exceptionally rare and important example of antique Chinese cartography. It is an honour to share Cao Junyi’s A Complete Map of All Under Heaven (1644) with the widest possible audience online, and we hope the artistry and historical significance of this map will be enjoyed by experts, students and enthusiasts all over the world.”