Atlas of Natural Resources of the People's Republic of China
ZH中华人民共和国自然地图集
China · 国家地图集编纂委员会 · 1965
Related Reviews & Articles
Introduction to the National Atlas of China
李海晨 · 1984
This paper systematically introduces 13 representative atlases compiled in China since the 1950s, covering national atlases, provincial maps, physical atlases, historical atlases, world atlases, and regional/thematic atlases. For each atlas, it elaborates on compilation background, leading institutions, format specifications, projections, map group structures, content features, and compilation methods. Special attention is given to the eight map groups of the National Physical Atlas, the design concept of using communes as the smallest territorial units and the advantages of loose-leaf binding in the Jiangsu Agricultural Atlas, and the representation methods of thematic maps in the People's Commune Atlas. The paper aims to comprehensively reflect the technical evolution and academic achievements of atlas compilation in China, providing reference for cartographic history research and modern atlas production.
The Development of Cartography over the past 30 Years in the People's Republic of China
Zhong-Xing Wu; Ke Liao · 1980
This article surveys the development of cartography in the People’s Republic of China during the three decades following its establishment in 1949, while placing modern achievements within the long history of Chinese surveying and mapmaking. It recalls early maps from the Spring and Autumn, Warring States, and Han periods; Pei Xiu’s systematic “six principles” of map construction in the Western Jin dynasty; and the nationwide surveys and Royal Complete Atlas of the early Qing dynasty. These traditions demonstrate China’s substantial historical contributions to cartography, although political corruption and foreign aggression from the late Qing period onward caused the discipline to stagnate and fall behind developments elsewhere. After 1949, cartography received sustained state support and was reorganized through unified planning, standards, and modern technology. China established rigorous geodetic control, common projection systems, standardized sheet division and numbering, and a coordinated series of map scales. First-generation 1:50,000 and 1:100,000 topographic maps were produced for almost the entire national territory, while revision of later generations and preparation of larger-scale maps were initiated. National maps at 1:1,000,000 and other small scales, together with provincial and county wall maps, supported economic construction, national defence, scientific research, culture, and education. Thematic cartography also expanded rapidly as nationwide surveys and observational networks generated increasingly reliable data. Major products covered geology and mineral resources, geomorphology, climate, soils, vegetation, agriculture, environmental pollution, disease geography, and nautical navigation. National, regional, and specialized atlases—including physical-geographical, geological, climatic, and medical works—integrated diverse evidence and provided scientific foundations for resource investigation, river-basin management, soil and water conservation, desert control, agricultural regionalization, environmental assessment, and development planning. The paper further reviews theoretical advances in map projections, cartographic generalization, geographical-name standardization, symbol design, map composition, and thematic representation, emphasizing the accurate communication of spatial patterns and regional characteristics. Considerable progress was likewise achieved in production technology. Compilation and fair drawing adopted more rational procedures, including scribing, strip masking, transparent lettering, rapid symbol transfer, diazo materials, electronic colour separation, presensitized plates, and electrographic reproduction. Research on automation produced small-scale batches or prototypes of graphic digitizers, digital plotters, scanning devices, semiautomatic lettering equipment, and stereocomparators. Software was developed for contour generation, projection transformation, sheet-layout construction, symbol plotting, digital editing, geographical analysis, and graphic output. Automatic methods were used particularly in thematic applications such as drainage-basin pollution monitoring, urban air-pollution analysis, agricultural-economic mapping, cancer surveys, and environmental evaluation. Finally, remote sensing became increasingly important for updating medium- and small-scale general maps, producing monochrome, multicolour, enhanced-colour, and composite photomaps, and compiling thematic maps from multispectral, infrared, and microwave imagery combined with field investigation. Overall, the thirty-year period transformed Chinese cartography from fragmented, inconsistent production into a standardized, scientifically grounded, increasingly mechanized and partly automated national enterprise, while creating a basis for continued technological advancement and international cooperation.
Classic milestones: national atlases
Unknown · 2014
The national atlas is regarded as a significant indicator of a country's scientific, technological, and cultural level. This article reviews the decades-long compilation journey of the Chinese National Atlas, beginning in the 1950s. It details the organizational structure, compilation process, publication of individual volumes, and scientific significance of this key national research project. The article notes that the atlas brought together the expertise of over 1,700 scholars from 216 institutions nationwide. Its completion not only provided a crucial scientific basis for economic development, research, and education but also advanced the field of Chinese cartography and nurtured talent. Highly praised by the international academic community, it stands as a milestone in the development of modern Chinese cartography.
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