1830 Map of Datong Prefecture, Shanxi, China

This is a very rare c. 1830 manuscript map of Datong Prefecture, stylized using its ancient name Yunzhong (雲中), a historically important city in northern Shanxi Province, China. Yunzhong/Datong and its surroundings have served as a capital for various historic dynasties and was central to the diffusion and florescence of Buddhism in China, evidenced by the large number of temples and grottoes in the region.

A Closer Look at the Map

By the time this map was created, Datong already had a history stretching back over a millennium and the city walls had been reduced from their greatest extent, when they reached north and east of the central walled city, similar to the southern and western extensions visible here. The river at left is the Shili River (十里河), a tributary of the Sanggan River (桑乾河) and ultimately the Hai River (海河), while the river at right is the Yu River (御河), which also flows into the Sanggan. At top-right is Mt. Cailiang 埰涼山, home to a number of culturally important temples and tombs.

Yunzhong and Datong Across the Generations

Yunzhong County (雲中縣) was established in the early Tang Dynasty and later subsumed under Datong County (大同縣). The use of Yunzhong County (雲中郡) in the title appears to be a deliberate stylistic anachronism. This area was settled in Antiquity and became the capital of the Northern Wei Dynasty (as Pingcheng 平城) and the western capital (Xijing 西京) of the Jin Dynasty until it was sacked by the Mongols.

This area of northern Shanxi was historically very important in the development of Buddhism in China, and, despite the wars and destruction of the modern period (including the Cultural Revolution), a number of temples and grottos survive. The 'Stone Buddha Temple' (石佛寺) at top-left is likely a reference to the Wuzhoushan (武州山) Grottoes, now known as the Yungang Grottoes, large statues of the Buddha carved into mountainsides. The Yungang Grottoes are a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most important Buddhist grottoes in China. Only a handful of the many temples in the area, such as the Xingguo Temple (興國寺) at bottom-center, are noted on the map. Although most of the temples outside the city walls have been demolished, many of those within the city walls such as the Huayan (華嚴寺) and Shanhua (善化寺) Temples (not indicated here) are still-extant.

In February 1982, Datong was named among the first group of China's 'National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities' (中国历史文化名镇), designated for preservation and officially recognized for their cultural heritage value.

Demolition and Reconstruction

In recent years, hundreds of thousands of residents in Datong have been relocated in order to restore the original city wall and renovate old structures in the city center. For a relatively poor region of China reliant on coal production, Datong has attempted to boost the economy through tourism, and it was hoped that the renovations would be a major attraction. This controversial project was profiled in the 2015 documentary film The Chinese Mayor (大同). Although seemingly popular with locals, Datong's project of destroying historic structures to construct new 'ancient-style' structures has deeply indebted the local government and was openly criticized by the central government in 2019.

Publication History and Census

This map is similar to a map from the Yunzhong Gazetteer (雲中郡志) of 1652 (Shunzhi 9) though it has been updated to reflect changes since 1652, such as the reduction of walls and gates to the north and east of the city (here as 北/東關故址). It was likely based off this older map, possibly for inclusion in the 1830 (Daoguang 10) edition of the Datong County Gazetteer (大同縣志) (it does not appear in the 1782 Qianlong 47 edition of the Datong County Gazetteer). As a manuscript, this map is unique..