Redai dili (May 2023)
Tacit Knowledge on Maps: A Discussion Centered on the Location of the Wailuo on the Zhongguo gu hang hai tu in the Beinecke Library
Abstract
The Beinecke Library of Yale University owns an ancient Chinese sea atlas, Zhongguo gu hang hai tu, which has attracted considerable scholarly interest over the last three decades. In 2018, Wing-Sheung Cheng published his research monograph focusing on this atlas. However, his identification of certain geographical features is problematic; in particular, the Wailuo (外罗), depicted several times in the pages of the Zhongguo gu hang hai tu, is identified as either Robert Island or Money Island in the Paracel Islands. Based on comparison with other sources, which invariably place the Wailuo near the coast of modern Vietnam (Cù Lao Ré), it is concluded that Cheng misread the cartographic representations of the atlas. In order to better elucidate the causes of this misreading, this paper introduces the epistemological concept of "tacit knowledge," coined by the philosopher Michael Polanyi (1891-1976), into the study on the history of cartography. Tacit knowledge as a notion has developed different meanings since Polanyi, and is construed as the opposite of explicit knowledge. Matthew H. Edney has championed the investigation of the mapping process rather than simply the mapping practice in the history of cartography. It is argued that the mapping process of ancient nautical charts involved tacit knowledge, which was not fully inscribed into or depicted on the charts. Acknowledging and revitalizing such tacit knowledge is of paramount importance to the study of the history of cartography. Because modern and scientific cartography has transcended and obfuscated the mapping process of ancient sea charts, tacit knowledge is sometimes ignored or misinterpreted, which eventually results in ancient maps and charts becoming seemingly unintelligible. Therefore, the underlying cause for Cheng's misreading of the Wailuo can be attributed to his over-reliance on the explicit knowledge drawn on the pages of the atlas, and ignorance of the rich tacit knowledge that was passed down through generations of Chinese seafarers, until it was overtaken by modern sea charts. This case study also echoes recent debates regarding the progress and setbacks in the history of cartographic studies in China. It shows that theoretical exploration is capable of facilitating the improvement and long-term viability of the history of cartography in the Chinese language world.
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