A rare, large and detailed map of Beijing will go under the hammer at Sotheby's in London later today. The rare Chinese woodcut map of Beijing city in the 19th century shows the inner and outer cities of the capital, including hutongs, temples, palaces, gardens, rivers, wells, bridges, and city gates all clearly marked.
The map is undated and is likely based on one from the Ming Dynasty, as it does not show the Lama Temple (Yonghe Temple), which was started in 1694 and completed in the first half of the eighteenth century. The map, Shun Tian Quan Tu, measures 1.26 meters long and 1.1 meters wide.
The map is likely to attract bids form China from collectors and private museums; the estimate for the lot is 30k – 40k GBP.
