According to research by Hsia Li-ming associate professor at Taitung Normal College, there is a marked difference between Chinese imperial maps, produced to meet the political and military requirements of the court, and European navigation charts of the same period, where the commercial interest is foremost.
根據台東師範學院副教授夏黎明的研究報告，中國歷代的地圖，大多是皇帝基於政治或軍事需要而繪製，與歐洲人基於商業利益所繪的航海圖，在目的上大不相同。