Cheonggudo (Map of Korea) (2008-1)

A coloured manuscript general map of Joseon produced by Kim Jeong-ho in 1834, held in the National Library of Korea. The Cheonggudo divides the country into 29 tiers from north to south and 22 sheets from east to west. Each page covers an area of 100 ri from north to south and 70 ri from east to west, at a scale of about 1:160,000, the same as the Daedong yeojido (1861). Kim Jeong-ho shared the concern, evident since the late 18th century, to overcome the shortcomings of existing maps, and went a step further by incorporating his own original ideas in producing the Cheonggudo. He sought to increase the map's practical value by representing, directly on the map, information that had previously been recorded only in geographical gazetteers. For every locality he recorded the number of households, the area of land, the total number of troops, the total amount of grain collected in tax, and the distance to Hanseong (Seoul), and he noted the details of any important historical events associated with a place. Through this, the Cheonggudo became a map recording important historical and geographical information in relatively fine detail over an existing national map. Several sets of the Cheonggudo survive; some are composed of two volumes and others of four, and the manner of depiction differs in part between them. The National Library of Korea's copy, composed of two volumes, is well preserved and finely composed, and holds great historical and scholarly value.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seocho-gu, Seoul

Designation

Treasure · 보물