Xansi Imperii Sinarum Provincia Secunda

Beautiful copperplate engraved map of the Shanxi province in northern China.

This finely detailed map shows the province of Xansi (Shanxi) in northern China during the mid-17th century. It was one of a number of maps (17 in total) compiled by the Jesuit Missionary Martino Martini for his Novus Atlas Sinensis, which appeared as part of volume 10 of Joan Blaeu’s Atlas Maior in 1655. Father Martini (1614 – 1661) traveled extensively throughout China during his approximately thirteen years of combined service and was extremely influential on later scholars as a pioneer in Chinese cartography, culture, and geographic knowledge.

The map, surprisingly accurate for the time, shows the landlocked province bounded by the Croceus (Yellow) River to the south and west and the Great Wall of China to the north. Topography is depicted pictorially, reflecting a rugged terrain, and various features are labeled according to the legend in the lower left corner. These include fortifications, iron mines, and military camps. Also of interest are the cities of Taiyuan (the provincial capital), Pu, and Kiang. They are all capped with the letters “IHS”, likely indicating a local branch of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuits.