Wanguo Quantu

Wanguo Quantu
The Wanguo Quantu[1]
Traditional Chinese萬國全圖
Simplified Chinese万国全图
Literal meaningThe Complete Map of the Myriad Countries
A Complete Map of the 10,000 States
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinWànguó Quántú
Wade–GilesWan-kuo Ch‘üan-t‘u
A Wanguo Quantu map, introduced by a notice written by Giulio Aleni, whose Chinese name appears in the signature in the last column on the left, above the Jesuit IHS symbol.[2]

Wanguo Quantu or the Complete Map of the Myriad Countries is a map developed in the 1620s by the Jesuit Giulio Aleni in Ming China following the earlier work of Matteo Ricci, who was the first Jesuit to speak Chinese and to publish maps of the world in Chinese from 1574 to 1603. Aleni modified Ricci's maps to accommodate Chinese demands for a Sinocentric projection, placing the "Middle Kingdom" at the center of the visual field.[2]


  1. ^ Wigal, p.202
  2. ^ a b Vatican exhibit