D. R. F. Taylor · 1993
This article provides a systematic introduction to the National Economic Atlas of China, focusing on its scope, data sources, quality assurance, cartographic methods, and scholarly significance. Comprising 265 maps and more than 500 socioeconomic variables, the atlas primarily uses counties and cities as geographic units to portray China’s socioeconomic structure, industrial distribution, and regional disparities. It particularly demonstrates the shift of the country’s economic center toward the eastern and southern provinces. Its principal sources include the 1985–1986 Second National Industrial Census, the 1982 and 1990 population censuses, annual statistics compiled by the State Statistical Bureau, and specialized surveys supplied by more than twenty ministries and commissions. The article gives particular attention to data reliability. The industrial census employed multilevel manual and computerized controls and reported low overall error rates, while the Fourth Population Census likewise achieved a very small net enumeration error. These major datasets are therefore considered highly credible. Through database restructuring, computer-assisted cartography, interactive editing, scientific classification, and specialized indices, the atlas transforms an exceptionally large statistical database into accessible spatial information, supplemented by extensive explanatory texts. The author concludes that the atlas offers a rigorous and non-exaggerated representation of China’s socioeconomic conditions. It makes an important contribution to understanding uneven regional development, industrial spatial relationships, and resource allocation, while also reflecting greater statistical openness under reform and opening-up. Because printed atlases inevitably become outdated, the article advocates developing a new generation of continuously updated electronic atlases.
刘岳 · 1996
This paper introduces the background, compilation process, main features, and international impact of the "National Economic Atlas of the People's Republic of China and Its Electronic Version." The project was led by the State Planning Commission, with the Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences as the chief editor, and was completed over six years, with the Chinese edition published in 1993 and the English edition in 1994. The atlas contains 265 maps and 250,000 characters of explanatory text, comprehensively reflecting China's resources, population, economy, agriculture, industry, transportation, and other sectors, characterized by scientific completeness, systematicity, and spatial analysis. The electronic version, developed based on EA-ward software, is user-friendly, content-rich, and reaches a world-leading level, receiving high praise from the international cartographic community. The atlas is not only a significant achievement in China's economic geography research but also provides valuable materials for the international community to understand China's economy.
廖克 · 2001
This paper elaborates on the importance of national atlases and the compilation history of the National Atlas of China, focusing on the characteristics and innovations in its compilation: ① A comprehensive compilation of China's natural, population, economic, social, and historical information; ② A systematic summary and synthesis of research achievements in China's geosciences, biology, environmental science, economics, and history; ③ The compilation of the national atlas adhered to the "sustainable development strategy," highlighting the relationship between humans and nature; ④ The compilation achieved a fundamental transformation from traditional techniques to fully digital and automated processes, with electronic atlases and internet map formats better meeting the demands of the information society. The completion of the National Atlas of China not only holds significant scientific value, practical applications, and social benefits but also comprehensively advances the development of contemporary Chinese cartography. As a major innovative achievement in China's scientific and technological community during the 20th century, this monumental atlas, embodying the wisdom of two to three generations of Chinese scientists and cartographic experts, is unprecedented in China's history and rare on a global scale. The National Atlas of China represents the highest level of current Chinese cartographic development, has exerted considerable international influence, and occupies an important position among national atlases worldwide. Its completion has made a historic and tremendous contribution to the development of Chinese cartography, truly serving as a milestone in the advancement of modern Chinese cartography.
