1872 Map of Lu'an, Anhui, China and Environs

This is a very rare c. 1872 map of the walled city and environs of Lu'an, seat of Lu'an Prefecture in Anhui Province, China (the city's name includes an unusual pronunciation of 六 as 'lu'). It is a wonderfully clear representation of a typical Chinese city in the late imperial era.

A Closer Look at the Map

The map illustrates major roads (the red dotted lines), a moat surrounding the city crossed by several bridges, and the Pi River (淠河) passing by the city. In the margins, nearby counties and their direction from Lu'an are noted. Aside from the prefectural government seat (州治), the map indicates a number of important structures of a religious or communal nature, including many temples, a Confucian academy (書院), a martial arts pavilion (演武亭), and a home for the poor and indigent (養濟院). Some of these structures still stand today, including the Drum Tower (鼓樓) and Guanyin Temple (觀音寺). These types of structures were ubiquitous in Chinese cities and, along with shops and markets, formed the backbone of the urban environment.

The Taiping Rebellion

Much of Anhui suffered terribly in the 1850s through the early 1860s because of the Taiping Rebellion. This was an uprising beginning in southern China led by Hong Xiuquan (洪秀全), a failed imperial exam candidate who had been indirectly exposed to Christianity and developed a new religion combining elements of Christianity and Chinese folk culture. Although their religious zealotry and puritanism alienated many, the Taiping addressed several serious problems in Qing society, in particular socio-economic inequality, which allowed them to rapidly gain adherents. The Taiping spread quickly in southern China, capturing Nanjing in 1853. After that point, the Qing were able to muster an effective defense while also putting down several other rebellions and fighting a second Opium War against Western powers, largely due to the efforts of highly capable officials like Zeng Guofan and Li Hongzhang. Anqing, some 200 kilometers from Lu'an, was the site of the decisive battle late in the war, after which the Taiping were in retreat.

The Taiping Rebellion left deep scars on China's society and political economy, including perhaps 20 million dead, widespread destruction, and the devolution of central power to provincial interests. According to a recently published local gazetteer, much of the walled city of Lu'an was destroyed in the course of warfare between Taiping and Qing forces. Assuming that this map dates to 1872 (see Publication History and Census below), it would be from soon after the reconstruction of the walled city.

Publication History and Census

This map likely dates from the mid-late Qing era. Academia Sinica holds two maps by the same title, dating to 1872 and 1751, the latter perhaps being part of a gazetteer published the same year (六安州志). Otherwise, it is not held in any institutions and has no known history on the market. The text on the right-hand side of the map suggests that this was part of a series or collection of maps.