Aguk yeojido (Map of the Russia-Korea Borderland)

This is an atlas of maps of Nokdundo Island at the mouth of the Tumen River and the surrounding area, made in the 19th century. The atlas consists of 20 accordion-folded leaves, which when fully unfolded form a single large map about 3m across. The first leaf carries a list of the maps; the maps themselves record details by region, including the number of households, population, local products, military matters and distances; and the last leaf carries the "Cheong-a yeoji hyeongjeong seogui-seo" (Preface Explaining the Topography and Situation of the Qing-Russian Region), written by Kim Gwang-hun and Sin Seon-uk. Painted in ink and colour on Western-style pulp paper in a pictorial style, it is a map of Hamgyeong-do and the eastern region of Russia that follows the traditional format of a gwanbangdo, a frontier-defence map. Kim Gwang-hun and Sin Gwang-uk are said to have spied out conditions in the Yeonhaeju (Maritime Province) region around the mouth of the Tumen River over 16 years before producing the map; although the exact date of production is unclear, it is presumed to date from between 1885 and 1905. The atlas is an extremely valuable source not only for research into the border disputes among Joseon, Tsarist Russia and Qing China, but also for the history of cartography and of painting.

AI Translation

Where it is

Region

Seongnam, Gyeonggi

Designation

Treasure · 보물