<P> The three Han Dynasty maps found at Mawangdui differ from the earlier Qin State maps . While the Qin maps place the cardinal direction of north at the top of the map, the Han maps are orientated with the southern direction at the top . The Han maps are also more complex, since they cover a much larger area, employ a large number of well - designed map symbols, and include additional information on local military sites and the local population . The Han maps also note measured distances between certain places, but a formal graduated scale and rectangular grid system for maps would not be used--or at least described in full--until the 3rd century (see Pei Xiu below). Among the three maps found at Mawangdui was a small map representing the tomb area where it was found, a larger topographical map showing the Han's borders along the subordinate Kingdom of Changsha and the Nanyue kingdom (of northern Vietnam and parts of modern Guangdong and Guangxi), and a map which marks the positions of Han military garrisons that were employed in an attack against Nanyue in 181 BC . </P> <P> An early text that mentioned maps was the Rites of Zhou . Although attributed to the era of the Zhou Dynasty, its first recorded appearance was in the libraries of Prince Liu De (c. 130 BC), and was compiled and commented on by Liu Xin in the 1st century AD . It outlined the use of maps that were made for governmental provinces and districts, principalities, frontier boundaries, and even pinpointed locations of ores and minerals for mining facilities . Upon the investiture of three of his sons as feudal princes in 117 BC, Emperor Wu of Han had maps of the entire empire submitted to him . </P> <P> From the 1st century AD onwards, official Chinese historical texts contained a geographical section (Diliji), which was often an enormous compilation of changes in place - names and local administrative divisions controlled by the ruling dynasty, descriptions of mountain ranges, river systems, taxable products, etc . From the time of the 5th century BC Shu Jing forward, Chinese geographical writing provided more concrete information and less legendary element . This example can be seen in the 4th chapter of the Huainanzi (Book of the Master of Huainan), compiled under the editorship of Prince Liu An in 139 BC during the Han Dynasty (202 BC--202 AD). The chapter gave general descriptions of topography in a systematic fashion, given visual aids by the use of maps (di tu) due to the efforts of Liu An and his associate Zuo Wu . In Chang Chu's Hua Yang Guo Chi (Historical Geography of Szechuan) of 347, not only rivers, trade routes, and various tribes were described, but it also wrote of a' Ba June Tu Jing' (' Map of Szechuan'), which had been made much earlier in 150 . </P> <P> Local mapmaking such as the one of Szechuan mentioned above, became a widespread tradition of Chinese geographical works by the 6th century, as noted in the bibliography of the Sui Shu . It is during this time of the Southern and Northern Dynasties that the Liang Dynasty (502--557) cartographers also began carving maps into stone steles (alongside the maps already drawn and painted on paper and silk). </P>

When were the first world climate maps charted