Chine - Early Beijing Chinese tourist traveller map.;

A Pictorial Map of Peiping in Full Colours.
Publisher
Tianjin & Peiping [Beijing]: Peiyang Press, 1930 1st Edition
Rare first state, uncommon in this condition and with the original wallet, of this colourful 1930s tourist map decorated with drawings of major landmarks and silhouette vignettes of street life. WorldCat records just four copies. With this map on hand, visitors to the old imperial capital could experience its rich mix of stunning architecture, imperial finery, bustling street life and modern conveniences. All the major sights are noted, including the Forbidden City, Drum Tower, Lama Temple, and the Temple of Heaven. Also highlighted are Liulichang street (famous for its curio shops), the market at Longfusi, several theatres, and the 50-metre public swimming pool located to the west of the imperial residence. The layout of the Legation Quarter is shown in detail, with each legation decorated with the appropriate national flag. Visitors are also able to find the location of hotels, the post office, the police department, the Peiyang Press itself, and many other services. The many silhouette adornments display Peiping's full cast of street figures: pedlars, a traveller with camels, cyclists, scholars, a rickshaw puller, a funeral procession, musicians, and many more. Various dates have been proposed for this map state based on the design of the tri-band German flag in the Legation Quarter. Copies have been misdated to before 1933 due to the flag being incorrectly identified as the black-gold-red Reichsbanner, used up to the electoral victory of the Nazi party in 1933. On this copy, and others we have traced, the flag appears as the black-white-red design of the German Imperial Flag, used between 1933 and 1935. A later state is titled "Peking" and shows the Nazi swastika flag on the German and ex-Austrian legations. Single sheet (590 x 494 mm), lithographed in colour and finished by hand, folding away to 202 x 103 mm. Housed in original red card wallet lettered in black. Colours sharp and bright, traces of production process including several faint red smudges and a few spots of ink mostly falling outside neatline, light creasing at top-right. A near- super fine copy