China's artistic description of order.

Generally speaking, people pay more attention to the practical function of maps. However, the connotation and extension of maps are by no means limited to "use". The relationship between map and art and the cultural way of map also need to be discussed. Talking about the map from the artistic dimension may provide a new perspective for us to understand the map.

(2) China has a long history of surveying and mapping. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period, maps were widely used in military affairs, agriculture and animal husbandry production and urban construction. By the Han Dynasty, China's cartographic level had reached a certain height. During the Wei and Jin Dynasties, Pei Xiu put forward a systematic theory and method of map compilation-"six-body mapping", which had a far-reaching impact on later generations. The Map of Chinese Flowers on the Sea drawn in the Tang Dynasty is an important work in the map history of China. Science and technology in Song Dynasty developed greatly, and the contents of cartography involved national maps, foreign maps and frontier maps. Cartographers are familiar with astronomy and geography and can write and draw. The Yuan and Ming Dynasties were the peak of traditional cartography in China. China's traditional cartography was born and bred, especially before the end of the Ming Dynasty, which was basically unaffected by the outside world. It had a very distinctive China characteristic and was ahead of other countries for a long time.

③ The drawing techniques of ancient maps of China are unique. Under the guidance of China's aesthetic thought and China's classical philosophy, the ancients used China's unique painting techniques to draw a Chinese-style map that integrates technology and art. In a sense, Chinese painting is a map, especially a long scroll painting with big scenes. For example, the Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival painted by Zhang Zeduan is 24.8 cm long and 528.7 cm wide. The work depicts the bustling scene of Bianjing, the capital city, from the suburbs, Bianhe to the market in the city. It is a map in itself. If flattened, it is a map in the modern sense; If you condense it again, it is today's network map.

④ The layout and production of ancient maps of China are exquisite and vivid. Ancient maps are often drawn according to the artistic conception in China's traditional landscape paintings. China's traditional landscape paintings focus on depicting natural mountains and rivers, endowing nature with cultural connotation and aesthetic consciousness. Many ancient maps in China are filled with the breath of painting, and exquisite maps are like spiritual landscape paintings. With the passage of time, the original intention, techniques and purposes of maps and landscape paintings are more and more different. Nowadays, map and landscape painting have become two completely different disciplines and fields. Map has become a rational scientific achievement of surveying and mapping, while landscape painting is a perceptual aesthetic work.

⑤ Ancient maps of China play an important role in social life. As a combination of surveying and mapping technology and painting, ancient maps did not consider the symbols, color codes, fonts and other aspects of maps with meticulous thinking from the visual habits as in modern times. Ancient maps reflect how cartographers express objective things from an artistic point of view and how to refine geographical elements to be expressed. Therefore, ancient maps are mainly used to show routes and distances, followed by showing power, distributing land, collecting taxes and managing irrigation, and also have educational and aesthetic functions.

⑥ The drawing of ancient maps of China has strong continuity and subjectivity. Cartographers often draw new versions on the basis of maps drawn by predecessors. Therefore, many similar symbols can be seen in different maps. At the same time, due to the strong subjectivity of picture book maps, different maps inevitably show distinct personal styles, which can be reflected from the color tones, color-setting techniques and the expression of map symbols of ancient China maps.

⑦ In modern times, maps gradually became a simple and practical tool. In order to pursue the accuracy and rigor of information expression, the artistry and culture outside the map are gradually abandoned. The development of the times and the demand of reality are constantly changing the shape of the map, which makes the map show different faces.