China. Divided into its provinces. Marked with submarine telegraph cable lines, canals and the beginning of the railway network.

Stanford's map of China records the country in the last days of the Qing Empire. Although the country was riven with internal strife as well as under external pressure, the map shows several extraordinary infrastructure projects, some in their infancy, others already mature. 

The interior canal network within China was a labour of centuries and very well developed. Under a mixture of European and Chinese controls, the canal and river network around Shanghai was modernised and had become a truly amazing hydrographic project and a donor to the Imperial Treasury. By contrast, the railway network was just beginning, with a small branch opening in the extreme north east of the country. The telegraph cable network was mainly confined to the Treaty Ports but was extremely efficient for the time and also included Taiwan. 

Printed colour. [SEAS5548]