JapSin I, (38/42) 40/9d
Jiali hejiao lu 家禮合教錄.
By Zhang Xiangcan 張象燦.
Manuscript, folios 145–158. Chinese bamboo paper, one volume.

The only information we have about the author comes from the marginal note on folio 145 which states that he was a juren (licentiate) of Xi’an fu 西安府 (Shaanxi) and a Christian. The manuscript was presented to Father Gabiani, then Vice-Provincial of China.

According to the author the treatise was written in reply to those who criticized the Christians for their lack of the feeling of respect and reverence, because they did not act according to the traditional custom in the ceremonies of marriage and funerals. To rebut this, he tried to prove the ignorance of the adversaries by quoting the Jiali 家禮 of Zhu Xi 朱熹 whose book is a great authority on ritual ceremonies (cf. Jap-Sin I, 9; I, 31 and I, 32).

In his preface the author contends that, though one may criticize the Christians for their lack of conformity with pagan traditions, one certainly must respect the Jiali , since this is a Chinese book and had been widely used by the Chinese in their daily lives. Now, the Jiali refutes the absurdity of astrologers and also the absurdity of the Buddhists and Daoists. On this point it agrees with the teaching of the Christians. Hence the title of the manuscript.

The pagan customs mentioned in this manuscript were probably particular to the Shaanxi province. It should be of great help to folklorists who wish to study the traditional customs of the time.

The paragraph on the motives of magistrates who venerate the city gods (Chenghuang 城隍) is exactly the same as that given on ff. 83–86 of the Lishi tiaowen 李師條問 (cf. Jap-Sin I, [38/42] 40/2). Even the handwriting of the two passages is identical, except for the citation of the edict of the founder of the Ming dynasty (Ming Taizu 明太祖) and the remarks of Qiu Jun 丘濬 (1420–1495). These are given only in this manuscript and are written in a different hand.

Source: Albert Chan, SJ, Chinese Books and Documents in the Jesuit Archives in Rome, pp. 59-60.