ZHANG, Chenglian (1853-1913). Dian Mian Jiujie Tu [Map of the Former National Boundary between Yunnan and Burma]. China, Qing dynasty, Guangxu period, 1894.

Important printed boundary map in memorial of the signing of the Yunan-Burma Treaty in 1894. The British East India Company started to actively annex territories to the east of India from the beginning of the 17th century, and became interested in the Burmese Ava Kingdom neighboring Bengal due to its commercial and strategic importance. The British invasion commenced with the First Anglo-Burmese War (1824-1826), and they finally annexed the whole territory, formally occupying Upper and Lower Burma, after the Third Anglo-Burmese War in 1886. Consequently, the border between Qing China and northern Burma needed to be redefined. Diplomat Xue Fucheng (1838-1894) was sent by the Qing court to settle the negotiation. In 1893, Xue Fucheng reported to Beijing his proposals of demarcation, which mainly revolved around the areas of Kachin Mountains. In the first month of the jiawu year of Emperor Guangxu’s reign (1894), Xue Fucheng signed the Yunnan-Burma Treaty with the British Foreign Minister, the Earl of Rosebery (Chan). The present lot, depicting the pre-1894 border between Yunnan and Burma, was produced in the year the treaty was signed. It is a record of the old border settled after the Sino-Burmese War (1765-1769) and a witness to a significant contemporary moment in history. The cartographer, Zhang Chenglian (1853-193) was Chinese Burmese born in Tengchong, Yunnan Province. He passed the Chinese provincial examination in 1879, and worked as a consultant for Xue Fucheng when the diplomat visited Yunnan. Zhang also worked for the Qing court to gather intelligence information on Burma, and was later appointed to the position of the magistrate of Maping County in Guangxi Province. References: Libby Lai-Pik Chan, East Meets West - Maritime Silk Routes in the 13th-18th Centuries (2016).

Woodblock map of national boundaries, printed in ink; title to the top, with the date and place of production, as well as author information, in both Chinese and Burmese; approximately 700 x 445 mm on an approx. 730 x 555 mm sheet. A scientific rather than descriptive map drawn in a grid system defined by meridian and parallel lines. Cartographic signs and symbols indicating governmental offices, political divisions, cities, mountains, rivers and railways, with Chinese and Burmese annotations. (Minor creasing, few edge chips, two just touching neat line, a few tiny holes in image). Mounted and framed (unexamined outside of frame).

Exhibited: "The World on Paper: From Square to Sphericity," Hong Kong Maritime Museum, December 2019 to March 2020.
Please note that this lot is subject to an import tariff. If the buyer instructs Christie’s to arrange shipping of the lot to a foreign address, the buyer will not be required to pay the import tariff. If the buyer instructs Christie’s to arrange shipping of the lot to a domestic address, if the buyer collects the property in person, or if the buyer arranges their own shipping (whether domestically or internationally), the buyer will be required to pay the import tariff. Please contact Post Sale Services on +1 212 636 2650 prior to bidding for more information.

Please note that this lot is subject to an import tariff. The amount of the import tariff due is a percentage of the final hammer price plus buyer's premium. The buyer should contact Post Sale Services prior to the sale to determine the estimated amount of the import tariff. If the buyer instructs Christie's to arrange shipping of the lot to a foreign address the buyer will not be required to pay the import tariff, but the shipment may be delayed while awaiting approval to export from the local government. If the buyer instructs Christie's to arrange shipping of the lot to a domestic address, if the buyer collects the property in person, or if the buyer arranges their own shipping (whether domestically or internationally), the buyer will be required to pay the import tariff. For the purpose of calculating sales tax, if applicable, the import tariff will be added to the final hammer price plus buyer's premium and sales tax will be collected as per The Buyer's Premium and Taxes section of the Conditions of Sale.