Courtier and Seeing-Man: Differences in Europeans’ Roles in East Asian and Central American Societies as Reflected through Maps

ABSTRACT

This paper analyses the maps of East Asia and Central America drawn by Europeans between the sixteenth and eighteenth centuries, and illustrates the distinctions in the roles of Europeans in these two civilizations through the investigation of cartographic differences. In the initial stage of Europeans’ entry into East Asia and Central America, the local maps have both the characteristics and techniques of the outsiders and the insiders, reflecting the distinct scene of the encounter of civilizations. In the process of localization, the map system of East Asia deconstructed European cartography, the original purpose of early Europeans entering China was digested by Chinese society, and their role changed from missionary to royal courtier. European cartography deconstructed and colonized the traditional cartography of Central America, which corresponds to the history that Europeans gradually became the rulers of indigenous people in real life.

KEYWORDS:

• Central America
• East Asia
• colonial cartography
• image of others
• Eurocentrism
• missionary

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes on the contributor

Hua Shi is a PhD student and teaching assistant in the School of Transborder Studies at the Arizona State University where she teaches first-year transborder Chicano/a history. Her research interests focus on the transborder activities on both the Mexican-US border and the Chinese-North Korean border, with specific emphasis on the labourers.

Notes

1 Song Weizhong 宋魏仲, ‘Yuan Dao 原道[On the origin of the Way], Wubaijia Zhu Changli Wenji 五百家注昌黎文集 [Anthology of Han Yu’s Writings with Annotations by Five Hundred Schools], Juan 11.

2 Zhou Li 周礼[Rites of Zhou], Diguan Situ Di’er 地官司徒第二 [Local Official Second].

3 For example, Zheng He (郑和) of Ming Dynasty made a nautical map to the South Sea and the Indian Ocean, Mao Kun Map (茅坤图).

4 See the maps in Civitates Orbis Terrarum, all drawn from an oblique aerial perspective. Georg Braun and Franz Hogenberg, Civitates Orbis Terrarum. Reproduced by Stephan Füssel and Rem Koolhaas. Cities of the World, Cologne: TASCHEN 2017.

5 See Ricci's letter of 9th September 1589 to Alessandro Valignano as he reported his settlement in Shaozhou, in Ricci, Lettere, 96.

6 The caption on the map is ‘南亚墨利加今分为五邦，一曰孛露，以孛露河为名；二曰金加西蜡，以所产金银之甚多为名；三曰坡巴牙那，以大郡为名；四曰智里，古名；五曰伯西儿，即中国所谓苏木也。’ See the commentaries by Gao, X (2010) Kunyu Wanguo Quantu Diming Kaoben 坤舆万国全图地名考本 Beijing: Guangming Ribao Chubanshe.

7 制图之体有六焉。一曰分率，所以辨广轮之度也。二曰准望，所以正彼此之体也。三曰道里，所以定所由之数也。四曰高下，五曰方邪，六曰迂直，此三者各因地而制宜，所以校夷险之异也。有图像而无分率，则无以审远近之差；有分率而无准望，虽得之于一隅，必失之于他方；有准望而无道里，则施于山海绝隔之地，不能以相通；有道里而无高下、方邪、迂直之校，则径路之数必与远近之实相违，失准望之正矣，故以此六者参而考之。然远近之实定于分率，彼此之实定于准望，径路之实定于道里，度数之实定于高下、方邪、迂直之算。故虽有峻山钜海之隔，绝域殊方之迥，登降诡曲之因，皆可得举而定者。准望之法既正，则曲直远近无所隐其形也。 Peixiu 裴秀, ‘Yugong Diyu Tu 禹贡地域图 [Yugong Area Map]’.

8 Ricci to Costa, Nanchang 28th October 1595, in Ricci, Lettere, 290.

9 See Ricci (1595) Jiaoyou Lun [ 交友论 ] (On friendship), published in Nanchang, China.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the research project “A Study on the Conflict of the Ancient History System between China, Korea and North Korea （中国与朝鲜、韩国古史体系冲突研究）” of The National Social Science Fund of China [Grant Number 17VGB005].