About “Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms”
The Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms, also known as Haiguo Tuzhi, is a 19th-century Chinese gazetteer compiled by scholar-official Wei Yuan. It was based on translations ordered by Imperial Commissioner Lin Zexu and testimonies from Imperial Commissioner Qishan. The work is considered the first major Chinese text about the West and one of China's earliest responses to the First Opium War. The treatise, which expanded to 100 scrolls, includes maps and detailed geographical information about the Western and Eastern Hemispheres. Its ideas influenced the Self-Strengthening Movement and also impacted Japan's approach to Western powers. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.)
Some summaries adapted from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.