Maps Collection
The has collected a large number of maps of Shanghai in the course of a research project on the history of the city in the 19th-20th centuries.
The Virtual Shanghai Project has assembled an extensive collection of Shanghai maps during research on the city’s history in the 19th and 20th centuries. This collection comprises original maps, photographic reproductions, slides, and—occasionally—Xerox copies. Around one hundred maps are held in the map archives of Institut d’Asie Orientale.
Because Shanghai maps are dispersed across collections worldwide, we have undertaken a large-scale digitization project to make them accessible to scholars and students through this platform. Whenever possible, we indicate the current location of the original item. The Virtual Shanghai digital map repository now includes over 600 items. Online reproduction is restricted to copyright-free maps or those owned by the project.
Level 1: Digital Map Repository
A broad collection of scanned Shanghai maps from diverse sources, catalogued and accessible through the platform, with location metadata when available.
Level 2: Georeferenced Historical Maps
A curated selection of historical maps has been georeferenced to harness GIS technology for historical research. This set covers 1855–2003, with intervals of roughly 25–30 years. In addition to general maps of Shanghai, we have digitized and georeferenced detailed cartographic surveys from the 1930s, 1940s, and 1980s, now available as a dedicated digital archive and integrated into our GIS server. Georeferenced originals and thematic maps produced by Virtual Shanghai are accessible under the Live maps menu for real-time use. The vector layers of Shanghai and China maps can be obtained under the Data menu. Type "GIS" in the Search field.
Level 3: GIS Applications for Historical Research
We have applied GIS methods to process and link historical spatial and textual data. This includes reconstructing Shanghai’s historical street grid and building a street name database that records multiple denominations and their periods of use. Each street segment is represented as vector data, and—where sources allow—geocoded by street number. This level of detail currently applies only to the former foreign concessions, as comparable maps for the former Chinese municipality are lacking.
The initial dataset drew from the 1939 Commercial Atlas, identifying over 2,000 buildings. The database has expanded with each thematic survey (e.g., industrial sites) conducted during the project. This GIS infrastructure enables in-depth spatial analyses in social history, and we aim to make it available in the future for external users to create customized maps for their own research needs.
We respect the rights of the institutions holding the original maps displayed here. Requests for digital reproductions should be directed to the relevant institution. For duplication of cartographic materials, please consult our "Services" page
- 最新更新 週五 15 八月 2025 (16:08) / C. Henriot -
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