A mid Ming watercolour navigation map recently discovered at Oxford University

Abstract

A mid Ming watercolour navigation map that has been overlooked for more than 350 years has recently been discovered at Bodleian Library of Oxford University in UK. It is the first extant watercolour navigation map in the maritime history of China, and very likely it was produced from the hands of Hokkien maritime merchants of Ming dynasty. It is from the private collection of John Selden （1584 -1654）, a well -known British lawyer, and was donated to the Bodleian Library in 1659. This unofficial map is very large, approximately lxl. 5m. It depicts the vast region from Siberia in the north to Java and Maluku Islands （Spice Islands） in the south, and from Japan and the Philippines in the east to Burma and South India in the west. In addition, six East Ocean navigation routes and twelve West Ocean navigation routes are clearly marked on the map. Doubt- lessly this map is very important in terms of studying maritime trade of Chinese junks in the period of Ming and Qing.

英国牛津大学鲍德林图书馆（Bodleian Library）近来发现了一幅被人们忽略了长达350余年之久的、绘制于中国明朝中叶的彩色航海地图。这是中国历史上现存的第一幅手工绘制的彩色航海图，而且或许是一幅出自明朝福建海商之手的地图。这幅航海图来自于英国一位著名的律师约翰·雪尔登（John Selden，1584—1654）的私人收藏，并于1659年捐献给了牛津大学鲍德林图书馆。该图相当大，大约长1．5米，宽1米。该图绘制的地域北起西伯利亚，南至今印尼爪哇岛和马鲁古群岛（香料群岛），东达北部的日本列岛和南部的菲律宾群岛，西抵缅甸和南印度。航海图上清楚地绘制出了明朝中叶中国帆船经常使用的6条东洋航路和12条西洋航路，对研究明清时期中国帆船的海外贸易具有重要的参考价值。