A map of China by Matthias Merian which is basically a reduced version of Willem Blaeu's 1638. There are few amendments so the geography is still quite inaccurate, and Korea is depicted as an island. Korea and Japan are prominently outlined. Two sailing ships and a sea monster decorate the ocean. The title cartouche in the upper right shows a Chinese nobleman and lady.
The Chinese Wall is shown, with the following text in Latin:
"Murus quadringentarum leucarum inter montium crepidines a Rege Chinae contra Tartarorum ab hac parte eruptiones, extructus."
(A wall of four hundred leagues has been constructed between the edges of the mountains by the King of China against the invasions of the Tartars in this part.)
Lake Chimay is shown on the left, the legendary source of four great Asian rivers. Legendary, because it was not real, but mythical, and sometimes a myth can attempt to become reality. However, later cartographers in the area omitted this detail from subsequent maps.
Matthäus Merian was born in Switzerland but eventually settled in Frankfurt. He was trained as an engraver and he married into the publishing family of De Bry who were highly influential publishers of travel and other illustrated books. In 1623 Merian took control of the business, taking it to new heights. He continued to publish editions of Theodore de Bry's Grand Voyages and Petits Voyages, first issued in 1590, but Merian was also famous for his “Topographia”, a multi-volume series describing the regions of Germany, richly illustrated with town plans and views, as well as maps, and his small folio world atlases, containing maps and views of all parts of the world.
