A full-scale replica of the precious map Gujin xingsheng zhi tu (Map of advantageous terrain past and present) from Jiajing’s reign (1555), featuring interesting references to the Portuguese presence in Macao, will be donated to the Macao Historical Archive, under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, by the Research Center for Social Sciences and Humanities of the National Tsing Hua University in Taiwan, in a public ceremony to be held on 25 June 2014 at 10am at the Cultural Affairs Bureau auditorium.

The Gujin xingsheng zhi tu is a woodblock print made at the Jinsha Shuyuan Academy in Longxi County in Fujian Province, China in 1555 (34th year of the reign of Jiajing during the Ming dynasty). Under the influence of Spanish and Chinese traders from Amoy, the map embarked on a journey across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans and finally arrived in Seville, Spain in 1574. In 2013, the Research Center for Social Sciences and Humanities of the National Tsing Hua University of Taiwan obtained authorization from the General Archive of the Indies in Seville, Spain to reproduce the Gujin xingsheng zhi tu. The map to be presented to the Macao Historical Archive is an original size reproduction (115cmx100 cm).

The Gujin xingsheng zhi tu is an invaluable resource for the study of history. It not only illustrates the ancient Chinese knowledge of geography, but also how the Chinese viewed East Asia and the world at large at the time. In addition, the historical information described on the map reflects the exchanges between China and Spain at the time. Furthermore, the map gives important information about the settlement of the Portuguese in Macao, which makes it of great significance to the territory.

To mark the special occasion of the presentation of Gujin xingsheng zhi tu, the ceremony will be followed by a seminar which counts with the following participants: Mr. Manuel Ravina Martín, Director of the General Archive of the Indies; Prof. Huang Yi Long, Director of the Research Center for Social Sciences and Humanities of the National Tsing Hua University of Taiwan and Professor Lee Yu Chung of the same university. The topics of the papers include: “The history, collection and digitization program of the General Archive of The Indies in Seville, Spain”; “Current situation and prospects of studies on the history of the East Asian sea territory”; and “Records related to Macao in the collection of the General Archive of the Indies and the current situation and prospects of relevant studies”.

The seminar will be conducted in Mandarin and Spanish with Cantonese and Portuguese simultaneous interpretation. Admission is free. For enquiries, please visit the website www.archives.gov.mo or call 2859 2919 during office hours for more details.