The background of Matteo Ricci: the shaping of his intellectual and scientific endowment. Matteo Ricci’s ascent to Beijing / Gianni Criveller -– The portrait of Matteo Ricci. Matteo Ricci, the Nantang Church, and the introduction of Roman Catholic Church architecture to Beijing / César Guillén Nuñez.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
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Abstract: “Intersemiotic translation” is categorized by Roman Jakobson as one of three types of translation. Translation of illustrations in the late Qing novels, either directly from verbal signs or visual signs, can also be regarded as a typical kind of “intersemiotic translation.” The present article studies illustrations in Chinese Christian literature in the late Qing period, especially those in the Chinese translations of John Bunyan’s works, The Pilgrim’s Progress and The Holy War. Questions to ponder are how inter-semiotic translation occurs between these illustrations—in either transferring or transplanting the meanings from one sign system to another—and how it establishes its legitimacy through religious negotiation, ideological conflict, and cultural integration. The illustrations in the Chinese translation versions of The Pilgrim’s Progress manifest the translators’ and illustrators’ manipulation of repertoires of Chinese religious signs, thereby indigenizing a foreign religion. These illustrations, nevertheless, are not only associated with Christianity, but also with the long-lasting visual signs of Chinese culture. Hence these translated illustrations could be considered as a type of “Translated Christianity.”

Local access dig.pdf. [Yao-Translated Illustration.pdf]