Maps marking Diaoyu Dao as China's territory are found in records such as “The Roadmap to Ryukyu” (Liu Qiu Guo Hai Tu) in Records of the Imperial Title-Conferring Envoys to Ryukyu (Shi Liu Qiu Lu) by Xiao Chongye in 1579 (the 7th year of Emperor Wanli’s reign of the Ming Dynasty), Record of the Interpreters of August Ming (Huang Ming Xiang Xu Lu) by Mao Ruizheng in 1629 (the 2nd year of Emperor Chongzhen’s reign of the Ming Dynasty), “Great Universal Geographic Map” (Kun Yu Quan Tu) in 1767 (the 32nd year of Emperor Qianlong’s reign of the Qing Dynasty), and “Atlas of the Great Qing Dynasty” (Huang Chao Zhong Wai Yi Tong Yu Tu) published in 1863 (the 2nd year of Emperor Tongzhi’s reign of the Qing Dynasty).
Maps identifying Diaoyu Dao as China's territory were also printed by foreign publications, including “Map of East China Sea Littoral States” by the French cartographer Pierre Lapie and others in 1809, which marked Diaoyu Dao, Huangwei Yu, Chiwei Yu and Taiwan Island the same color. Other maps, such as “A New Map of China from the Latest Authorities” published in Britain in 1811, “Colton's China” published in the United States in 1859, and “A Map of China's East Coast: Hong Kong to Gulf of Liao-Tung” compiled by the British Navy in 1877 all identified Diaoyu Dao as part of China.
Moreover, the “Map of Navigation” produced by the Portugese in 1762 clearly indicated Diaoyu Dao and its affiliated islands as part of Taiwan. In 1816, “Sailing Pilot of East India, China and the Oceanic Continent” was published in London, explicitly registering Taiwan and its affiliated islands and indicating the exact longitudes and latitudes of all surrounding islands, including Diaoyu Dao.