Carte Touristique de Pékin

Vintage folding tourist map of Beijing (formerly Peking), in French language published the year before the launch of the "Great Leap Forward" economic and social policy in China.

The main maps focus on the urban centre of the city of Peking, highlighting infrastructure, landmarks and places of interest. To the right a colourful plan of the city, accompanied by a listing of important landmarks and locations with contact numbers. Three other maps to the left specifically detail the transportation networks around the city and in the surrounding suburbs.

On the verso of the sheet, the folding tourist guide features 10 colour maps, a brief history of the city and more information about the six destinations highlighted; the Imperial Palace Museum, the Sun Yat-sen Park and Palace of Culture; Peihai Park; the Summer Palace; the Temple of Heaven; the Palace of the USSR Exposition; and the Zoo.

The Great Leap Forward was a campaign in the People’s Republic of China led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) from 1598 to 1962. It was a drive for the creation of an agrarian economy, and rapid development of industry in both urban and rural locations for the purpose of economic growth. Devastatingly, rather than stimulating the country’s economy it led to economic downturn, environment destruction and famine, forced labour and the deaths of over 30 million citizens.

Printed for Figure Publishing Shanghai by Editions Cartographiques. Printed