One hundred years ago today, China kick-started a rebellion which overthrew centuries of imperial rule, stripping the young emperor and regent of power. Ecstatic revolutionaries did away with the reviled pigtails mandated by the Manchu rulers and decried feudal practices. But one thing was kept by the new republic: the maps of the land. This was no mere coincidence. Maps play a role in preserving the national sense of identity in China. They are also a means of patriotic education. And they are likely to continue to be used to stir patriotism, and to project China’s image and power, into the 21st century. Read More
