Chinese National Atlas

Summary

This announcement presents the publication status and research agenda related to the Chinese National Atlas project. The atlas, a five-volume series edited by Dr. Chi-yun Chang of the Institute of Geography in Taipei, has already released its first three volumes: Volume I on Taiwan, Volume II on Tibet, Sinkiang, and Mongolia, and Volume III on North China. The remaining volumes—Volume IV on South China and Volume V containing general maps of China—are anticipated to be published by October 1962. A distinctive feature of the atlas is that all place names are rendered in both Chinese and English. The editorial office has designated Dr. Jen-hu Chang at the Hawaiian Sugar Planters’ Association Experiment Station in Honolulu as the contact for inquiries from the United States. Beyond the atlas series, the Institute of Geography has outlined several future research endeavors. Once the Chinese National Atlas is complete, work will begin on an atlas of Southeast Asia. Additional projects include a study of water resources and agricultural planning in Taiwan, an assessment of the cultural and natural resources of China, an investigation of urbanization in the Orient, and an analysis of the economic potential of Southeast Asia. This notice thus serves both as a progress report on a major cartographic undertaking and as an outline of the institute’s forthcoming geographic research priorities.