The introduction of Western geographical knowledge played a key role in bringing about change in the production of traditional world maps in the East. The emergence of circular world maps was one of the consequences of this change. Although circular world maps were produced in order to represent the expanded understanding of geography as galvanized by the Easts encounter with Western geographical knowledge, these maps depended on the Easts traditional conception of the world in terms of content and style. Based on Shanhaijing(The Classic of Mountains and Seas), which described theimaginary world beyond human experience, mapmakers established the struc- ture of the four separate parts of the worldinternal continent, internal sea, external continent, and external seaand created place names in each area: names recorded in historical documents are included in the internal continent, and place names related to Taoist immortality (sinseon sasang)in the inter-nal sea. The understanding of the world implied in circular world maps still remains within the Sinocentric worldview and the concept of cheonwonjibang, which defines the heavens as round and the earth as square. In addi-tion, the maps reflect the cosmographical concept of unity of heaven, earth, and man and the Taoist idea of immortality rooted in the desire for health and longevity.