1937 Japanese Asahi Shimbun Pre-World War II Map of Shanghai, China

A scarce pre-World War II map of Shanghai, China, issued by the Osaka Asahi Shimbun in 1937 or Showa 12, issued during the Battle of Shanghai (August 13, 1937). Centered on the riverfront Bund Distract, this map covers the heart of modern Shanghai. Foreign trade concessions are noted with shading indicating different areas of development. Streets are noted in Chinese. There is a larger map of the greater Shanghai area in the upper left. In the lower right, there is an even larger map detailing the course of the Yangtze River from the coast.

Chinese scholars point to this map as a 'War Map' illustrating the events associated with Pre-War Japanese aggression in Shanghai. The map illustrates the period between the first and second stage of the Japanese takeover of Shanghai. The first stage lasted from August 13 to August 22, 1937, during which the Republic of China National Revolutionary Army attempted to drive Japanese troop presence out of downtown Shanghai. The second stage lasted from August 23 to October 26, 1937, during which the Japanese launched amphibious landings on the Jiangsu coast and the two armies fought a Stalingrad-type house-to-house battle, with the Japanese attempting to gain control of the city and the surrounding regions. The third and final stage, ranging from October 27 to the end of November 1937, involved the retreat of the Chinese army in the face of Japanese flanking maneuvers, and the ensuing combat on the road to China's capital, Nanjing.