Using historical maps of China drawn by both Chinese and Western mapmakers from 1200 to 1800, the course will show students how maps can serve as windows into the past and introduce us to the worldviews of the mapmakers and their society. Through looking at the history, art and science of map making, the course will guide students to reflect on and find answers to these questions: how to look at ancient maps? How to identify and interpret place names, objects, peoples and animals depicted in the maps, and how to distinguish the real from the imaginary? Who made these maps, for whom, and for what purposes? How were the images of China produced by Chinese different from those by European cartographers?