京华心影: 老地图中的帝都北京

"A map may be light and thin, yet exploring with it opens up the horizon and elevates the perspective. An old map of a city is a category of graphical cultural heritages. The old map of Beijing is like a mirror lying on the ground, reflecting the layout, architectures of the city as well as how the geography and landmarks in the city have influenced figures and events in history and thus finally helped to form the personality, customs and spirit of the Beijing people. Books on Beijing usually focus on the period after the Republic of China and the anecdotes in hutongs. Yet at that time, Beijing had lost its splendor as an imperial capital and lost much of the traditional culture. To honor the Beijing traditions and pay homage to the glory left by the ancestors, it is necessary to know about the ancient city in the imperial age. This book written by Li Hong includes some maps fabricated by the Chinese people. The maps span from the 15th century to the 1930s, many of which have never been introduced to China or examined, interpreted and illustrated though having the patterns. The author interprets the cultural lineage running down all the way in history through the fabrication of maps, the spread approaches, the living environment of the hands transferring them, and especially the information on the maps. "