Maps of the Republic of China reflect the changes in territory and administrative divisions during the Republic of China period

Maps of the Republic of China are a category of historical maps that reflect the territorial extent, administrative divisions, mountains, rivers and transportation of the Republic of China period, mainly referring to the comprehensive political maps, provincial maps, and various thematic maps such as transportation and products maps compiled and published in the first half of the 20th century. Such maps were not only geographical tools of their time, but are also important materials today for studying the historical changes of modern China.

In terms of edition types, maps of the Republic of China period include teaching maps, military maps, postal route maps, railway transportation maps, and commercial maps printed by publishing houses, among others, making the variety quite rich. Maps from different periods differ noticeably in administrative divisions; the number of provinces, the establishment of special municipalities, and the labeling of border regions all changed with adjustments to the administrative system. Placing editions from different years side by side for comparison allows one to see the thread of divisional evolution intuitively.

In terms of cartographic technique, such maps gradually transitioned from the old-style traditional maps drawn with the chi-li-fang grid to modern surveyed maps using graticules, scale bars and projection methods. Both official institutions and private publishing houses participated in drawing them, and their map symbols, annotations and color styles each had their own characteristics; these details have also become important bases for determining the age of an edition today.

Nowadays, maps of the Republic of China period are mainly used in fields such as historical geography research, local chronicle compilation, and collecting and connoisseurship. When identifying authenticity and dating, one can start from aspects such as the publishing institution, the legend explanations, and the names of administrative divisions. Old maps have fragile paper, so when storing them one should pay attention to moisture-proofing, sun protection and insect prevention, and avoid repeated folding and pressing, so as to preserve their documentary value for the long term.