Regnum Chinae: The Printed Western Maps of China to 1735, a book by Marco Caboara was published in October 2022. The first European map of China relied on the faint copy of a Chinese original, obtained through bribery and espionage. The book features 127 Western printed maps of China from 1584 to 1735, which has taken Dr. Marco Caboara, Digital Scholarship and Archives Manager at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Lee Shau Kee Library, and his team four years to finish.

The author, Marco Caboara, who is Head of the Special Collections, has taken the institution’s tradition of stewardship to new heights, one where new knowledge has been constantly integrating a growing thoughtful collection. Little has been written about maps of China before, the only precedent in English being China in European Maps, published twenty years ago precisely by this prestigious university thanks to its first librarian Min-min Chang.

This major work is the result of a collective endeavor; besides his own department, Caboara has worked with the collaboration of the Explokart research team at the University of Amsterdam; the map illustrations come mainly from two sources, first the HKUST Library, and secondly the Allard Pierson (Special Collections) at the University of Amsterdam, and completed along with other sources. Publisher Brill spared no effort in bringing this ambitious project to fruition, which is reflected in the rich illustrations brought together from various sources.

The Speaker

Dr. Marco Caboara, Digital Scholarship and Archives Manager at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) Lee Shau Kee Library will share his journey of turning the antique maps of China into a book.

While most of the maps are already at the Library, Dr. Caboara still had to journey around the world to acquire more maps to complete the collection. The book is one of the highlights of HKUST’s Western Maps of China Project, which started 10 years ago when the Library acquired a large collection of antique maps of China. With the generous funding from Dr. Winnie KO Pui Shuen, an HKUST Honorary Fellow, the collection was digitized, and the team went on to turn it into a book.

Admission: $150 for members, $200 for guests /non-members (Drink and snacks are included in the admission fee). Walk-in guests are welcome depending on availability. Cash payment will be collected at the Reception Desk. Please prepare the exact payment.

Registration: Please email membership@royalasiaticsociety.org.hk and provide your membership number, if applicable, at the time of registration.