1983 Huang Jiqing / Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences Tectonic Map of China

This is a 1983 tectonic map of China made by the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, under the direction of geologist Huang Jiqing. It is a technical map designed for use by other geologists, produced against the background of major natural disasters and political changes in China.

A Closer Look

The map's legend is highly technical - noting geologic folds (褶皱), cycles (旋回), faults (断裂), and cap rock (盖层) - suggesting that the map was primarily intended for other geologists. The 1970s were a period of heightened seismic activity in China and Chinese scientists were desperate to develop earthquake prediction methods, which they were somewhat successful in doing. The mid-late 1970s also saw a revival of scientific and academic activity following the destruction and persecution during the first phase of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s. Huang Jiqing himself had suffered as a result, being imprisoned and then sent to 'May 7 Cadre School,' an intensive program of forced labor and political indoctrination.

To the right of the legend is a basic table of Chinese tectonic history arranged by geologic eras (Cenozoic, Mesozoic, Paleozoic, etc.). As is standard for mainland Chinese maps, disputed territories along the China-India border and in the South China Sea, along with Taiwan, are included.

Seismology and Seismic Political Shifts

Unsurprisingly for such a large country, parts of China are very earthquake-prone. The late 1960s and 1970s were particularly active seismologically, with major earthquakes in 1973 (Luhuo), 1975 (Haicheng), and 1976 (Tangshan and Songpan-Pingwu). The Tangshan Earthquake on July 28, 1976, was one of the deadliest earthquakes in Chinese history, killing some 300,000 people, perhaps many more, and flattening the city of Tangshan, some 175 kilometers from Beijing. The disaster was especially tragic as just the previous year the Haicheng Earthquake had resulted in a much lower death toll despite similar severity. Chinese seismologists had been on high alert beginning with several earthquakes in the late 1960s, which they accurately feared were portents of more seismic activity in the following years. When some harbingers of large earthquakes (changes in groundwater, strange animal behavior, small earthquakes later determined to be foreshocks) began to appear around Haicheng in early 1975, local officials prepared for quick evacuations and launched a propaganda campaign to inform the population on earthquake safety. These efforts have been credited with saving thousands of lives; however, it remains hotly debated whether the Haicheng Earthquake had been precisely predicted and if the warning signs present there were applicable in other contexts (none appeared before the Tangshan Earthquake).

In any event, as the Tangshan Earthquake preceded Mao Zedong's (1893 - 1976) death by a matter of weeks and was one of the last major events of his reign, it has sometimes been seen as a portent of the significant changes that would take place in the following years. According to traditional Chinese political philosophy, a string of natural disasters may be a sign of Heaven's displeasure and that the ruling dynasty had lost the 'Mandate of Heaven.' Popular opinion had turned against the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, then in its tenth year, and its leading figures, including Mao's wife Jiang Qing (1914 - 1991). This displeasure became apparent with the (forbidden) public mourning following the death of Zhou Enlai (1898 - 1976), a moderate and Jiang Qing's main political rival. Mao himself was already very ill at the time of the Tangshan Earthquake, suffering from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and severe heart disease. After Mao's death, one of his deputies, Hua Guofeng (1921 - 2008), became the nominal leader of the Chinese Communist Party, quickly turning on Jiang Qing and her allies, who were arrested and blamed for the horrors of the Cultural Revolution (which Mao had instigated and led). This strengthened the reformist faction, allowing Deng Xiaoping (1904 - 1997) to emerge as the main force in the CCP by late 1978 and gradually sideline Hua, opening the door for the 'reform and opening up' agenda that has drastically changed China in the years since.

Publication History and Census

This map was edited by the Tectonic Geology Office in the Institute of Geology of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences (中国地质科学院地质研究所构造地质室), under the leadership of Huang Jiqing (黃汲清). It was originally published in December 1979, while this is a third edition published in Shanxi Province in March 1983. This edition is particularly rare and is not known by us to exist in any institutional holdings or have any history on the market.