"Introduction to 'The National Economic Atlas of China and Its Electronic Edition'"

Summary

The *National Economic Atlas of the People's Republic of China* and its electronic edition represent a major national scientific reference project, jointly led by the State Planning Commission and the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the Institute of Geography as chief editor. Launched in 1987 and published in Chinese (1993) and English (1994), the atlas contains 10 thematic sections, 265 maps, and 250,000 words of explanatory text, comprehensively covering resources, population, overall economy, agriculture, industry, transportation, construction, urban development, environmental protection, commerce, foreign trade, tourism, finance, education, science, culture, health, and provincial economies. The compilation method combines high-level synthesis with in-depth analysis, employing innovative indicator classification, grading systems, and multi-level cartographic units to systematically depict China's independent national economic and industrial system—its scale, structure, spatial patterns, regional disparities, and the decisive roles of resources and population. An expert appraisal committee certified the atlas as having attained internationally advanced standards. Professor D.R.F. Taylor, then ICA President, described it as one of the most comprehensive and detailed economic atlases ever produced and an outstanding contribution to understanding China's socio‑economic development. The electronic version, developed on the self‑developed EA‑World platform with the latest data, offers strong visualization, ease of operation, and robust comparative analysis, and was acclaimed as a world‑leading electronic atlas masterpiece and “a pearl of China’s information industry.” The atlas has become an authoritative tool for macro‑decision‑making, academic research, and international investment, exerting a profound and lasting impact.