O. A. 叶夫捷耶夫; T. B. 科托娃; B. C. 吉库诺夫; Л. Х. 延瓦烈娃; 杜钟朴 · 2000
This paper provides a comprehensive review of the National Physical Atlas of China, published in 1999 in both Chinese and English editions. As a key component of China's series of national atlases, the atlas was compiled under the leadership of the Institute of Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, involving nearly 40 institutions and over 300 scholars. Based on the concept of systematically studying the country's environment and its changes, protecting geographical systems and biodiversity, and ensuring sustainable development, the atlas extensively utilizes satellite remote sensing information. It comprises 225 pages containing 540 maps, organized into five sections: introductory maps, physical environment, natural resources, natural hazards, and nature utilization and protection. The review highlights the atlas's outstanding achievement in combining traditional cartography with computer-based mapping methods. The thematic map groups are rich in content and innovative, demonstrating high precision and practical utility. The atlas is regarded as a unique cartographic masterpiece and a model of excellence in atlas publishing over the past decade, holding significant value for economic development and scientific research.
Unknown · 2014
The article recounts the revival and completion of China’s national atlas program after the project was restored as a key national research initiative in 1981. Conceived as an integrated series of relatively independent general, physical, agricultural, economic, and historical atlases, it drew on new data and production methods and involved hundreds of institutions, editors, and specialists. The agricultural, economic, general, and physical volumes appeared successively, with the economic and physical atlases also issued in English. The author presents the series as a comprehensive synthesis of Chinese knowledge about nature, population, the economy, society, and history, emphasizing its value for planning, research, education, and international scholarly exchange. Awards and favorable assessments from international cartographers are cited as evidence of its quality, while the project is also credited with stimulating atlas production and training a generation of Chinese cartographers. Overall, the author regards it as an unprecedented national scientific and cultural achievement and a milestone in modern Chinese cartography.
