Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms

The title shown here is for the Illustrated Treatise on the Maritime Kingdoms (original: Haiguo Tuzhi 海國圖志). Compiled by the scholar Wei YuanA prominent Qing Dynasty scholar and advisor (1794–1857) who advocated for practical statecraft and modernizing China's defenses., this work was one of the first Chinese publications to provide a detailed and systematic account of the history, geography, and political systems of Western countries.

Maritime Kingdomsoriginal: "Haiguo" 海國 literally translates to "Sea Kingdoms," referring to the various nations across the oceans, particularly the Western powers like Britain, France, and the United States, which were largely unknown to the general Chinese public at the time.

Illustrated Treatiseoriginal: "Tuzhi" 圖志 indicates a format that blends visual maps and diagrams with historical and descriptive text. Wei Yuan’s goal was to help Chinese officials and intellectuals "learn the superior techniques of the foreigners to control them."