Hai-kuo t’u-chih

work by Wei Yuan

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June 29, 2026

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The Haiguo tuzhi (Illustrated Gazetteer of the Countries Overseas) is a significant work by Wei Yuan, a historian and geographer of the Qing dynasty. Published in 1844, it was the first Chinese text to utilize translations from Western sources, offering insights into the geography and conditions of foreign nations.1

Despite the prevailing Chinese ignorance and superstition regarding the West, Wei Yuan's work proposed a crucial idea: that China should learn superior Western technology to effectively address external challenges. This concept later provided a foundation for reforms in the 1860s and 1870s, when Chinese leaders began integrating Western devices and technology.1

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Wei Yuan
…published his best-known work, the Haiguo tuzhi (“Illustrated Gazetteer of the Countries Overseas”), on the geography and material conditions of foreign nations. Although handicapped by the ignorance and superstition with which the Chinese viewed the West, this work was the first to make use of translations from Western sources. Wei…
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…published his best-known work, the Haiguo tuzhi (“Illustrated Gazetteer of the Countries Overseas”), on the geography and material conditions of foreign nations. Although handicapped by the ignorance and superstition with which the Chinese viewed the West, this work was the first to make use of translations from Western sources. Wei…
Read More