Ming dynasty work shows how Chinese understood the world in the 1600s

A monumental Ming dynasty encyclopaedia, the Tushu Bian, published in 1613, reveals how Chinese scholars in the 1600s sought to map and understand the world from their own cultural and intellectual standpoint.

Compiled over several decades by Neo-Confucian scholar Zhang Huang, the Tushu Bian, or Compendium of Illustrations and Texts, is an ambitious work spanning 127 volumes. It draws upon more than 200 printed sources to systematically document fundamental concepts concerning heaven, earth, and humanity. Zhang Huang's stated goal was to consolidate all the illustrations and texts necessary for an educated person to grasp the world's complexities.

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His goal was to gather all the illustrations and texts an educated person needed to understand the world.

Information designer Paul Kahn, who studied the encyclopaedia, noted in his book "Mapping Knowledge Across Time: Seven Books That Visualised the World" that the Tushu Bian was too expensive to print during Zhang Huang's lifetime. Consequently, the work was eventually carved onto woodblocks and printed posthumously, ensuring its dissemination despite the significant production challenges.

Kahn's analysis involved comparing the Tushu Bian with six other significant works that presented the world from a Euro-Mediterranean perspective. This comparative approach highlights the Tushu Bian as a crucial artifact for understanding the distinct intellectual traditions and worldviews prevalent in China during the Ming dynasty, offering a valuable counterpoint to Western scholarly efforts of the same era.

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The result was too costly to print during his lifetime. It was eventually carved on woodblocks and printed after his death.