 In 1701 the great work of the general map of the empire, begun by the topographical drawing of the capital city of Beijing and its environs, including the ancient summer residences of the emperors and 1700 towns or villages, was assigned to Father Antoine Thomas, a Belgian of Namur, and three Frenchmen, Joachim Bouvet, Jean Baptiste Régis and Dominique Parennin.Qing Emperor K'ang-hi, who wished to take measures against the periodic overflow of the rivers of Zhili, was satisfied.Fr.