Chapter 28 The sharp decline after reaching the peak in the fifth quarter

The national map surveying and mapping under the auspices of the Qing government in the late 17th century and early 18th century brought China to a new peak in the history of world map surveying and mapping, and also made China's map surveying level reach the peak in history. But this advantage did not last. On the contrary, shortly after the completion of the national survey and mapping during the Kangxi period, there were already signs of regression.As mentioned earlier, the surveyors originally proposed to measure the longitude by observing the solar eclipse in the east and west frontiers in order to further improve the accuracy of the map, but they did not obtain Kangxi's approval.This is certainly due to the limitations of Kangxi's own understanding, but it also reflects that such an important survey and mapping was mainly due to Kangxi's personal interest and will, and did not form a correct concept among the senior officials at that time, let alone popularize knowledge. boundary.Although Kangxi understood the advanced nature of western surveying and mapping methods, he only wanted to use them to draw national maps. He did not think of learning or promoting this technology in China, let alone further research and improvement plans.Therefore, the Chinese personnel who accompanied the missionaries to various places for surveying and mapping at that time did not receive due attention. Except for a few people who were accidentally mentioned in historical materials, it was basically impossible to check their names, let alone necessary records.Therefore, if we want to understand this period of history today, we can only rely on the records of missionaries who participated in surveying and mapping.Although He Guozong, Ming Antu and others who were in charge of surveying and mapping during the Qianlong period also learned a certain amount of surveying and mapping knowledge, they obviously did not study it in depth. Therefore, after the surveying and mapping was completed, they neither summarized nor passed on the technology and experience.With the end of the surveying and mapping, the personnel were disbanded, the equipment was lost, and there has been no activity since then.

In the face of advanced Western science and technology, there are only a few people who can give limited recognition and affirmation like Emperor Kangxi did, but most people only regard it as the ingenuity of the barbarians, and regard it as a trivial skill.When the traditional textual research reached its peak in the Qianlong and Jiaqing eras, the tendency to ignore science and technology became increasingly serious.Therefore, scientific surveying and mapping methods were not spread at all, but disappeared with the final completion of the "Map of Qianlong's Inner Palace".After Liu Tongxun and He Guozong were in charge of surveying and compiling the "Illustrations of the Western Regions" in June of the 26th year of Qianlong (AD 1761), after it was handed over to the Fanglue Office of the Military Aircraft Department (the highest military institution), Qianlong sent another group of officials to compile it. Xiu, they still followed the old road of Chinese geographical maps. After 20 years, in the "Huangyu Western Regions Maps" compiled in the forty-seventh year of Qianlong (AD 1782), the latitude and longitude on the map were replaced. cancelled.The same is true of "Tibet Maps", "Xizhao Maps", "Weizang Maps" compiled and drawn by the people, and even the scale is ignored.As for the maps in local chronicles and other books, they are basically still the old method of "drawing squares in a plan", or they are still simple schematic diagrams drawn in the form of landscape paintings.Because of this, the level of map surveying and mapping in the past 100 years has not improved, but has regressed.

What is even more regrettable is that the most advanced maps in the world at that time, which took such a huge amount of manpower and material resources to survey and draw, failed to play the role they should have played.When they were dedicated to the emperor, they were basically cut off from the world, so that they had long since disappeared.The number of copperplate and woodblock printed maps was also very small, and only a few princes, nobles and ministers were lucky enough to be rewarded, and most of them did not understand the value of this set of maps and never really used them.Qi Zhaonan, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, had the opportunity to see the map surveyed and drawn during the Kangxi period, and based on the rivers on the map, he wrote the famous "Outline of Waterways", which was praised for its accuracy.It is a pity that there are too few opportunities like Qi Zhaonan, otherwise the achievements of geography in the Qing Dynasty would have been much greater.

In contrast, the Chinese maps brought back to the West by the missionaries or compiled by them in the West immediately received widespread attention and were published in large quantities soon, becoming an important source for Westerners to understand China.When the western powers opened the door of China by force, it was these maps that were used.