A Broad View of Post Roads
The term “post roads” generally refers to major streets where post stations were established in ancient time to provide accommodation, labor, and horses for traveling officials, hence the name. This exhibition introduces two post road maps: one is the “Post Stations Map of Taiyuan to Kansu” (First Period), and the other is the “Post Stations Map of Yuezhou to Longzhou” (Second Period). Both maps use a linear painting style to depict major and minor roads. The former illustrates the roads from Taiyuan Prefecture, Shanxi Province northward to Datong Prefecture as well as from Datong Prefecture northward along the south side of the border wall to Tianchengwei City in the east and Dongchengwei City in the west in the late 14th century. The latter depicts the roads from Yuezhou Prefecture on the banks of Dongting Lake in Hunan southwestward to the border of Longzhou and Jiaozhi Provincial Governor’s Office, passing through Changsha, Hengzhou, Qiyang, Yongzhou, Quanzhou (in Guangxi Province), Xing’an, Lingchuan, Guilin, Wuzhou, and Guiping in the early 15th century. Besides the vibrant colors, both maps use solid yellow lines to represent post roads. The maps also have detailed with comprehensive depictions of prefectures, states, counties, and wei (guard cities) along the roads, occupying a significant portion of the maps. The numerous post stations, courier shops, and mail transfer offices illustrate the dense post road system and the important role it played between the 14th and 15th centuries.
