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Production and Circulation of Maps and Mapmaking Knowledge in the Song Dynasty (960-1279)

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Production and Circulation of Maps and Mapmaking Knowledge in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) Cartographic Empire: Production and Circulation of Maps and Mapmaking Knowledge in the Song Dynasty (960-1279) Fan Lin Department of Art History and Communication Studies & Department of East Asian Studies McGill University, Montreal Dec 10, 2014 A dissertation submitted to McGill University in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Copyright 2014 by Lin, Fan All rights reserved Contents Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... v Abbreviations ................................................................................................................................ viii Chapter 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Subjects and Perspectives: Why Maps? ................................................................................. 2 Why the Song Dynasty and Song Maps? ................................................................................ 8 Visuality of Maps--Representation and Construction .......................................................... 15 Materiality of Maps as Objects ............................................................................................. 16 Maps, Texts and Landscape Paintings .................................................................................. 19 Structure of This Study .......................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 2 The Ontological Nature and Practice of Mapmaking: A Prehistory of Song Maps ...... 25 Symbols of Political Power: Birth of Maps ............................................................................ 26 The Framework of the Known World: The Tribute of Yu ..................................................... 29 Knowledge of Map Reading: Map Literacy ........................................................................... 40 Mapmakers, Users, and Patrons: Managing the Empire ...................................................... 46 Mapping for Military Expansion ........................................................................................... 53 Ditu 地圖 and dili 地理: Preservation and Categorization of Maps ..................................... 56 Visual and Material Concerns: Orientation and Media ........................................................ 61 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 65 Chapter 3 Art in Technology or Vice Versa: Dynamic Relationship between Maps and Painting and Their Epistemological Transformation in the Song................................................................ 67 Epistemological Transformations of Tu 圖, Hua 畫, and Xiang 象 ....................................... 67 Warp and Weft: A Dynamic Relationship between Images and Texts ................................. 75 Maps and Painting in the Perspective of Topographical Maps ............................................ 80 Map Producers, Mapmakers and Painters ........................................................................... 87 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................. 95 Chapter 4 Imperial Maps and the Concept of Tu during the Song ............................................... 96 The Position of the Practice of Mapping among Ways of Visualizing the Empire ............... 96 Imperial Regulation of Mapmaking and the Circulation of Maps ...................................... 101 Transmission and Multiplication of Imperial Knowledge ................................................... 111 Presenting and Controlling Space through “Battle Formation” Maps ............................... 116 Maps for Imperial Works .................................................................................................... 131 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 136 Chapter 5 Classical Maps on Steles and in Prints: Cartographic Transformation of Maps for the “Tribute of Yu” in Medieval China .............................................................................................. 138 Illustrations of the Six Classics ............................................................................................ 140 Map Tracing the Tracks of Yu (Yuji tu) ................................................................................ 160 Monographs Annotating the “Yu gong” Chapter in the Book of Documents ..................... 173 i Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 179 Chapter 6 Alternative Landscapes: Representation or Creation of the Local Topography? ...... 189 Debates on Local Society versus the Central State, and the Rise of Local Identity ............ 189 The Governmental Practice of Local Mapmaking during the Song .................................... 197 “Four Extremes and Eight Directions” (Sizhi badao 四至八到) ......................................... 216 Compiling Institutions and the Literati ............................................................................... 223 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................... 227 Chapter 7 Conclusions ................................................................................................................ 229 Figures ......................................................................................................................................... 234 Bibliography ................................................................................................................................ 306 ii Abstract My dissertation is a study of the social meanings of maps and various forms of geospatial knowledge in Song China (960-1279). I argue that geographical knowledge was produced, reproduced and transformed through mapmaking and circulation within the contexts of print culture, civil service examinations, and political reforms. I divide the maps and other graphic representations I examine into three categories according to their subject matter and social functions: (1) imperial maps and diagrams commissioned by the Song court serving administrative and military purposes; (2) maps, tables and charts made by literati scholars in constructing the geography of a canonical past based on the “Tribute of Yu”; and (3) gazetteer maps made primarily by local scholars as a venue in which both the consciousness of the “local” and its bond with the state were formulated and negotiated. Maps in these three categories, viewed as objects within the context of social relations, were produced and commissioned by various echelons of the social elite. I conclude that both the Song literati’s social identities and understanding of the empire were shaped by the interactions and exchanges of geospatial and cartographic knowledge. iii Abstract Ma dissertation est une étude sur les significations sociales des cartes et des différentes formes de connaissances géospatiales dans la Chine des Song (960-1279). Je soutiens que les connaissances géographiques étaient produites, reproduites et transformées par la cartographie et par la circulation, dans des contextes de culture d’'imprimé, d’examens impériaux et de réformes politiques. Je divise les cartes et autres représentations graphiques que j’examine en trois catégories selon leurs thèmes et fonctions sociales : (1) cartes et diagrammes impériaux commandés par la cour des Song ayant une utilité administrative et militaire; (2) cartes, tableaux et graphiques faits par des élites lettrées en construisant la géographie d’un passé canonique basé sur le « Tribut de Yu »; et (3) des cartes de répertoires principalement faites par des élites locales dans des circonstances où la conscience de la localité et ses liens avec l’État étaient tous les deux formulés et négociés. Les cartes de ces trois catégories, vues comme des objets dans le contexte de relations sociales, étaient produites et commandées par divers échelons de l’élite sociale. Je conclus que les identités sociales des lettrés Song et la compréhension de l’empire étaient tous les deux formés par l’interaction et les échanges de connaissances géographiques et cartographiques. iv Acknowledgements The long journey of my dissertation research and writing has proved to be a process of exploring the unknown and overcoming my own intellectual limits. It would not have been possible without the support of my supervisors and many friends. I have had the honour of working under the guidance of Professors Robin Yates, Jeffery Moser and the late Hajime Nakatani. First of all, my deepest gratitude goes to Nakatani sensei. As a friend, co-supervisor and mentor, he never failed to lend me support and courage whenever needed. He listened to my nebulous ideas with patience, guided me in organizing and articulating them in a logical and coherent manner, and helped me formulate the basic framework of this project. Thanks also go to Robin Yates, who carefully read my chapters and offered invaluable comments,
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