There are four states of the chart: the first two are by Yunyou Sanren, 25 March 1822, one in eight sheets and the other in six sheets; Song Tao, March, 1826; Qian Yong, April 1826. There are significant differences between the 1822 and 1826 editions in terms of the textual content and layout. Curiously, the later 1826 editions are more faithful to the earlier Song chart, as the text is almost identical with only minor variations of the characters.

Eight examples of the 1822 edition are known (six of the eight-sheet example, and two of the six-sheet example) and are held by: Konko Library, Japan, the collection of Prof. Miyajima Kazuhiko 宮島一彥 (Japan), the collection of Tsujiyoshi family (Japan), and in two in private collections (China). Two examples with six sheets can be found in the Omura City Archives and Matura Historical Museum in Japan.

Only one institutional example of the March 1826 edition is known, held at the Tsuyama City Museum, Japan. Only two institutional examples of the April 1826 edition are known, one at Jissoin Temple in Japan and the other at the Adler Planetarium in the USA.

The content of this chart can be divided into four sections: the title to the far right, the text surrounding the chart, the celestial chart itself, and the colophon to the far left. It shows significant revisions of Huang Shang’s work and includes new constellations and Western geographical information. One of the most intriguing differences can be seen in the title, which contains the characters Huntian 渾天, and illustrates the Qing scholars' continuing interest in the Later Han 後漢 Dynasty (25–220 CE) (especially Confucian) philosophy and philology. The term refers to Huntian shuo 渾天說 ('Spherical Heaven Theory') which was formulated during the Later Han and argued that a spherical earth was suspended within a celestial sphere. It displaced an ancient celestial theory, Gaitian shuo 蓋天說 ('Canopy Heaven Theory'), which stated that the earth was a square and covered umbrella-like by a celestial hemisphere.

Historical background: Chinese scholarship in the late Qing dynasty was dominated by ‘Kaozheng’ or ‘evidence-based’ scholarship, which was a response to, and reaction against, the Neo-Confucianism that had held sway during the Song (960–1279) and Ming (1368–1636) dynasties. ‘Kaozheng’ sought to strip away the layers of Taoist and Buddhist interpretations of Confucian teaching that had accrued during the Song and Ming dynasties, which they saw as obscuring its true meaning and nature. In doing so, the Qing scholars hoped to shed new light on the ancient texts, and also that the texts might be better guides for contemporary policy and politics. ‘Kaozheng’ with its emphasis on critical thinking, and search for authentic texts, was not only confined to the realm of Confucian scholarship but also bled through into all aspects of Chinese intellectual inquiry, such as science and in the present case astronomy.

The Sunderland Collection

The 'Huntian Yitong Xingxiang Quantu' 渾天壹統星象全圖 ('Complete Celestial Chart'), was one of the largest planispheres published during the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912). The work combined both Chinese and Western astronomy, highlighted by the fundamental role that knowledge of the Heavens played in Chinese politics, and illustrated the Qing Dynasty’s endeavours to seek authentic truth in ancient texts.

The present chart can be seen as an embodiment of Qing scholarly principles that prioritized the study of history to give a more accurate guide to the present. It is based on the oldest recorded celestial planisphere, the ‘Tianwen Tu’ which was produced during the Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279) by Huang Shang (1146–1194), tutor to Emperor Guangzong’s son. The work was engraved on stone by Wang Zhiyuan (1193–1257) in 1247 and set up in the Confucian Temple in Suzhou, where it still stands. As well as depicting the heavens and providing an introduction to the birth of the cosmos, the planisphere assured the Song Emperor of his ‘Mandate of Heaven’ as China’s rightful ruler. The message would not have been lost on the Qing scholars, whose own times were beset by internal rebellion and encroachment from belligerent Western powers. The present chart, however, does not just copy Huang Shang’s work but it shows significant revision and updating to include new constellations and Western geographical information.

This chart is based on the oldest recorded celestial planisphere, the Tianwen tu 天文圖 produced during the Southern Song dynasty (1127–1279) by Huang Shang 黃裳 (1146–1194), tutor to Emperor Guangzong’s son.

A monumental Chinese celestial chart is one of the largest planispheres published during the Qing Dynasty (1636–1912). The work combines both Chinese and Western astronomy, highlights the fundamental role that knowledge of the Heavens played in Chinese politics, and illustrates the Qing Dynasty’s endeavours to seek authentic truth in ancient texts.

The 'Blue China' Celestial Map