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A Chinese-based world map depicts Africa in 1433

Africa is one of those places that those, in the Global North, either do not think about or only have a superficial knowledge about. However, like any other human-inhabited continent on earth, Africa is made up of many countries and has a very long history. In today’s paper, Dr Wang takes us on a journey to the early days of Sino-African exchanges. The Chinese-based world map Kunyu Wanguo Quantu 《坤輿萬國全圖》or Complete Geographical Map of All the Kingdoms of the World is long thought to be a copy of European maps. However, Dr Wang argues the map is derived from Chinese sources that originated in the year 1433, during the last of the seven Ming voyages.

A Chinese-Based World Map Depicts Europe Between 1157 and 1166

When we think of Sino-European relations, we think of the Silk Road or today’s heated politics in Europe. But as today’s world has shown us, reality is much more complicated. In today’s paper, once more Dr Wang has a unique view on the Kunyu Wanguo Quantu《坤舆 万国全图》or Complete Geographical Map of All the Kingdoms of the World published by Matteo Ricci in 1602 in China. Here, she argues that this map shows a glimpse of the complicated European political landscape between 1157 and1166 which overlaps with the Southern Song Dynasty. Furthermore, she argues that a Sino-European relationship goes back long before the Common Era.