[Most Recent Survey Map of Greater Shanghai].

1938 Kimura Kesao Map of Greater Shanghai, Second Sino-Japanese War

Publication Date: 1938

About this Item

Very good. Some minor watermarks and wear along the fold lines. Ink from the title has imprinted slightly on the verso from folding. Size 31 x 43 Inches. This is the 1938 (Showa 13) Kimura Kesao plan of the Greater Shanghai Municipality, made soon after the Chinese municipality was occupied by Japanese forces in the Second Sino-Japanese War. A Closer Look at the Map The map is oriented towards northwest. Different parts of the city are color-coded, with the French Concession as green, the western part of the International Settlement as purple, the eastern half of the International Settlement where many Japanese residents lived shaded red, and various districts of the Chinese municipality shaded different colors. Most notably, the new municipal center for Greater Shanghai (???), shaded purple, is prominent towards center-right. Part of the plan for reorganization of greater Shanghai was the restructuring and renaming of urban districts (for example, Nanshi or Nantao ?? became Hunan ???). However, these names were unfamiliar to residents and did not last into the postwar period. There is an inset map of the Lower Yangzi Delta Region (??????) at bottom-right. Despite the recent hostilities that devastated the Chinese sections of the city, the map does not indicate any information of a military nature or note the destruction of entire neighborhoods. Instead it focuses on geographic features, roads, railways, temples, administrative divisions, and parks. Overall, the map is richly detailed, especially along the Bund (the waterfront of the Huangpu River), along the waterfront of Hongkou (the part of the International Settlement with many Japanese residents), and in the outer neighborhoods and suburbs of the city, which are often not included in maps from this era. The End of the Treaty Port Era Although it was already a sizable port by 1842, Shanghai expanded at a tremendous pace when it was designated a treaty port after the First Opium War. British and French traders and missionaries were leased land outside of the walled 'Chinese City' (shaded in red, center towards bottom), particularly along the Bund. Due to the extraterritoriality clauses of the Treaty of Nanjing and subsequent 'unequal treaties,' over time the areas where Westerners resided effectively became exempt from Chinese jurisdiction. In 1862, the French split with the Americans and British, creating a distinct French Concession, causing the 'Anglos' to form the International Settlement (divided at Avenue Edward VII ????, Yan'an Rd. today). As a strategically located entrepot near the mouth of the Yangzi River, Shanghai quickly became a gateway to the entire Yangzi Delta. The light administration of the foreign concessions led to the city's reputation for economic dynamism, multiculturalism, crime, drugs, prostitution, and urban poverty. Shanghai Sojourners The British influence was particularly strong in the International Settlement, but the city's elite was a cosmopolitan mix of Europeans, Americans, Japanese, Chinese, and others. Trading diasporas from across China and the globe set up shop there, including Baghdadi Jews, whose names (Kadoorie, Sassoon) were synonymous with Shanghai's high society. Since the exact sovereign status of the treaty ports was unclear, Shanghai became a refuge for stateless individuals and refugees, including White Russians and, later, Viennese Jews fleeing the Nazis. Multiple nationalities also formed a subaltern stratum of police officers, servants, small business owners, and entertainers, including Parsis and Sikhs, Annamese, Koreans, Russians, Portuguese (Macanese), and Filipinos. In the year before this map was made, the Japanese influence had increased considerably, and the number of Japanese residents (including Koreans and Okinawans) increased to over 100,000 during the war. The 'Greater Shanghai' Municipality Nanjing became the capital city of China in 1927-28, following the partial reunification of the country by Chiang Kai-She.

Seller Inventory # Shanghai-kimura-1938

Bibliographic Details

• Title: [Most Recent Survey Map of Greater Shanghai].
• Publication Date: 1938
• Seller catalogs:
  • JAPAN-CHINA-KOREA