[New Atlas of China by Province]

Chinese school atlas from the Nanjing Decade.

This detailed high-school age atlas offers a wealth of information about Chinese geography, economy, and infrastructure during the 1930s. Dozens of colorful photographs provide details on transportation, political organization, physical features, climate, natural resources, language, and more. Of particular interest is a pictorial topographic map of the nation, made 3-D by a set of accompanying glasses! Historical details, indices of place names, various addenda, and tables of statistics are also included within the printed text.

The atlas was originally compiled in 1933 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Shen Bao, known in English as Shanghai News. This is the third edition, printed in Shanghai in 1936 under the single-party rule of Chiang Kai-shek. Censorship and control over the press became increasingly strict under the Generalissimo’s regime and it’s possible the newspaper issued the atlas to partially comply with government demands to a 1932 postal ban. In 1934, Shen Bao’s owner, Shi Liangcai, was assassinated on Chiang’s orders.