This large map of Shanghai is part of the series of maps of the city published by the Whangpoo Board chronicling improvements to its infrastructure. It is an important study in the development and rise of Shanghai in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

These plans were issued in small numbers for administrative purposes and sometimes reprinted in the North China Daily News and Chronicle; they were distributed to a number of subscribers. We have been able to trace editions in 1913, 1923, 1928 and 1933, all in different stages of development and size.

The Japanese adopted this map in the 1930s and issued their own versions throughout the decade.

Geographically the map shows the city on an orientation showing north to the upper right of the sheet. The main focus are the foreign concessions, with different colours denoting geographical locations such as “northern”, “central” and “eastern”. The French concession is noted as completely separate from the other European districts. A smaller central section is marked as “Chinese City” denoting the original Chinese settlement.

A fascinating depiction of the Golden Age of Shanghai at a time when it was one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the world. Original colour. [SEAS5417]