Is the land of the ancients "up and down"? That should be "Zuo Dong right west"?

There is no definite orientation restriction on ancient maps, so not all ancient maps are "up and down, north and south" and "Zuo Dong left and right, west", so it is necessary to analyze the orientation of maps in detail.

Different from the convention of modern maps, which are "upper north and lower south, left west and right east", ancient maps of China have no cartographic restrictions in this respect. The Map of Jiangxi Province is based on the setting of "South to North and West to Zuo Dong", so Poyang Lake is located at the bottom of the map.

Large-scale map drawing in ancient times took longer than that in modern times, and was presented to the emperor by courtiers, also known as official picture books. The setting of "going up south and facing north" may be related to the emperor's "sitting north and facing south", but it is convenient for users to watch.

But there are also some maps that go up west and down east. For example, the Complete Map of Coastal Provinces in the Qing Dynasty depicts the geographical overview of seven coastal provinces such as Jiangsu, Shandong, Zhejiang and Fujian.

Extended data

The map of Southern Song Dynasty was drawn according to "Upper North and Lower South"

When ancient Chinese drew maps, they were all marked in the direction of southeast and northwest, which was quite random. The map of China is clearly marked as "north, south, left, west, right and east" from the Map of the Dragon Pan and the Tiger Residence and the Map of the Song Jiankang Palace in the Records of Ding Jing Jiankang.

Ding Jing Jiankangzhi is a local chronicle of Nanjing in the Southern Song Dynasty, which was written on 126 1. It is the earliest and most complete official chronicle book of Nanjing, with 19 maps, and it is the earliest existing map of Nanjing.

The method of marking latitude and longitude on the map was introduced from the west. The earliest map of Nanjing marked with latitude and longitude was the map of jiangning house drawn by French missionary Galati in the 24th year of Guangxu reign of Qing Dynasty.

Surveying and mapping education developed gradually with the rise of surveying and mapping technology, and developed into an independent education category in the middle of Guangxu, and central and local surveying and mapping schools were established throughout the country. Zhang Zhidong founded Lushi Academy in Nanjing, and 1909, the "New Map of Jinling Provincial Capital" drawn by graduates with new surveying and mapping methods was also included in "Old Pictures and Old Shadows of Nanjing".

Colorful Guizhou Network —— "No North" in China Ancient Map

People's Network-Ming Dynasty hand-painted map Meng Mengda? The sedan chairs and horses in the melon and vegetable garden are all in the picture.