Kangnido map - Books - Famous Chinese Shopping City

March 8, 2014


		1 Introduction 2 Origins 3 Contents 4 Versions of the map 5 Influences 6 See also 7 References 8 External links

Famous Chinese Shopping City Books

Kangnido map

Wikipedia

<table border=1 width=300 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 align=right>
<tr><th colspan=2 align=center bgcolor=#FFCCCC>Kangnido map (1402)</th></tr>
<tr><td colspan=2 align=center>Image:KangnidoMap.jpg|350px</td></tr>
<tr><th colspan=2 align=center>Korean Name</th></tr>
<tr><td>Revised Romanization of Korean|Revised Romanization</td><td>Honilgangniyeokdaegukdojido</td></tr>
<tr><td>McCune-Reischauer<br />(North Korean)</td><td>Honilgangriryŏktaeguktojido</td></tr>
<tr><td>Hangul</td><td>혼일강리역대국도지도</td></tr>
<tr><td>Hangul|Chosŏn'gŭl (North Korean Hangul)</td><td>혼일강리력대국도지도</td></tr>
<tr><td>Hanja</td><td>混一疆理歷代國都之圖</td></tr>
<tr><td>Short Name</td><td>Gangnido (Kangrido; 강리도; 疆理圖)</td></tr></table>

The Kangnido map ("Integrated Historical Map of Countries and Cities"), was made in Korea from Chinese source material in 1402, by Gim Sa-hyeong (김사형:金士衡), Li Mu (이무:李茂) and Li Hoi (이회).

The map describes the totality of the Old World, from Europe and Africa in the west, to Korea and Japan in the east, with an oversized China in the middle, at a time preceding the first European voyages of exploration, and even the famous travels by the Chinese Admiral Zheng He, suggesting in-depth geographical knowledge and explorations from a very early date.

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Origins

China began to explore the territories to the west from the embassy of Zhang Qian in 126 BCE. Various countries were thus identified, such as K'ang-ch?? (Sogdiana), Ta-Yuan (in Ferghana), An-shih (파사:pa-sa:Parthia) and Daqin (대진:Daejin:the Roman empire). China also engaged in sea travel, especially following the expansion of Islam on the continent in the 8th century.

According to the explanatory notes on the map, it was made by combining two earlier Chinese maps, a map, 聲教廣被圖 by Li Tse-min (李澤民) produced around 1330 and another map, 混一疆理圖 by Ch'ing Ch??n (清浚) produced around 1370, both maps now lost. These two maps came to Korea through the agency of the Korean ambassador Gim Sa-hyeong (1341-1407), and were combined in 1402 by Li Hoi and Li Mu.

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Contents

Image:645px-KangnidoCaption.jpg|thumb|300px|Main areas of the world as described by the Kangnido map.
Image:649px-KangnidoPoliticalDetails.jpg|thumb|300px|Details of Africa, Europe and the Middle East.
The map depicts in great detail the Empire of China, as well as Korea and Japan, although relative sizes and positions are not exactly preserved. China and Korea are oversized, and Southeast Asia (with its protruding peninsula and profusion of islands) as well as India are rounded up into the global landmass.

In the West, the Arabian peninsula, Africa and Europe are quite clearly delineated, although the continents are shown smaller than their actual size. In particular, the Mediterranean is clearly depicted, as well as the Iberian and Italian peninsulas and the Adriatic. There are over 100 names for the European countries alone, including "Alumangia" for the Latin word Alemania (Germany).

The knowledge of the actual contour of Africa indicates early explorations of the area, clearly predating the European explorations of Vasco da Gama. In particular, the southern tip of Africa is quite clearly depicted, as well as a river which may correspond to the Orange River in Southern Africa. To the north of the African continent, beyond the unexplored "black" central mass, a pagoda is represented for the lighthouse of Alexandria, and the Arab word "Misr" for Egypt is transliterated in Chinese.

Most of the Chinese transcriptions of place-names in southwest Asia, Africa, and Europe come from Persianized Arabic originals, indicating that the Kangnido may have relied for a large part on knowledge transmitted from the Middle-East.

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Versions of the map

Only three copies of the Kangnido map are known, and all of them have been preserved in Japan. Two Kangnido maps were brought to Japan as part of the loot from Hideyoshi's Seven-Year War|invasion of Korea (1592-1598). The map currently in the Ryūkoku University (Jap: 龍谷大学) was originally given by Hideyoshi to the Honganji temple. Another map, today in the Honmyōji temple, was given by Kato Kiyomasa|Katō Kiyomasa, also following the Korean campaigns. The third known version of the map is considered to be an adaptation of the Honganji map and is located at Tenri University.

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Influences

Image:KangnidoVsFraMauro.jpg|thumb|400px|Comparison between the Fra Mauro map (1457) and the Kangnido (1402).
The Kangnido displays many similarities with the Fra Mauro map, made in 1457 by the Venetian monk Fra Mauro, both in the correctness of their assertions (the connection between the Atlantic Ocean and the Indian Ocean), and in their mistakes (a huge river from the center of Africa going into the Red Sea, the flattened western coast of Africa, or the shoreline of South Asia). They share the same understanding of the Old World in its general structure, although the relative proportions of the countries and continents are inverted, with Europe and Africa enlarged on the Fra Mauro map, and China and especially Korea very largely represented in the Kangnido.

Both maps were made before the Age of Discovery|European voyages of exploration and the rounding of the Cape of Good Hope in 1488 by the Europeans. It has been suggested that the geographical knowledge contained in the Kangnido map was created by Muslim, Indian or Chinese sailors (expedition of the Chinese Admiral Zheng He), and then transmitted to the West in some way another, possibly through Indian or Muslim merchants, or through 15th century travelers to the East such as the Venetian Niccolo Da Conti.

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