Cartographic Exploration of Chinese History

FAIN: FA-10890-74

Chiao-min Hsieh
University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA 15260-6133)

To explore the utility of Chinese local gazetteers or Ti Fang Chih as a potential source of data on the historical georgraphy of China. Gazetteers for several provinces of South China will be inventoried for regional comparability . Historical maps for selected social, demographic, and economic variables for which useful data exist will be produced. The investigation will yield valuable insights into the spatial organization, cultural development, and land use of China in past periods--a subject sparsely represented in the existing historical and geographical literature.