"On the literati's attitude to Western learning in the early Qing dynasty : a case study on Dong Han (1626–?) and Notes in Three Hills" / Zhao Qinghe

This article belongs to the Special Issue of 

"Chinese Christianity: From Society to Culture," Religions 16 (2025)

Local access dig.pdf [Xiao-On the Literati’s Attitude to Western Learning in the Early Qing Dynasty.pdf]

Abstract: 

After the arrival of Jesuits in China during the late Ming dynasty, they adopted a strategy of aligning Catholicism with Confucianism, referring to themselves as “Western Confucians” to gain sympathy and support from the Chinese literati. However, during the early Qing dynasty, particularly during the late Kangxi era, because of the resurgence of traditional Confucian ideology and the consolidation of Manchu rule, literati attitudes toward Catholicism shifted significantly. This paper uses the early Qing scholar Dong Han (董含, 1626–?) from the Songjiang region as a case study, with his Notes in Three Hills 三冈识略 as the primary textual source, to analyze his critiques of Western learning (including Catholicism and Western science). Additionally, it examines Catholic responses to these critiques, based on the manuscript Refute the False Accusation 辩诬 collected in the BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France). Through an analysis of Dong Han’s attitude toward Western learning and the responses it provoked, the paper aims to shed light on the changing attitudes of early Qing literati in the Jiangnan area toward Western learning, as well as the challenges faced by Catholicism in establishing their legitimacy in early modern China. It points out that the fundamental differences between Western learning and Confucianism prevented it from making an effective argument for legitimacy in China. The lack of support from the literati and the emperor led to the eventual fate of Catholicism—being prohibited

Zongjiao yu lishi : wan Ming yilai de tianzhujiao yanjiu 宗教與歷史：晚明以來的天主教研究 = Religion and history / ed. by Tao Feiya 陶飛亞 and Xiao Qinghe 肖清和

目錄

主題演講

禮儀之爭中的中國聲音

明清天主教歷史與漢語神學

耶穌會中國副省年報：內容、特征與價值
承嗣與開新——從“沙勿略方針”到“利瑪竇規矩”
印票與康熙晚年的禁教之爭
漢語神學中的克罪靈修：以《七克》為中心

文本與跨文化詮釋

天主教東傳與清初文人的思想重構——以“敬天”思潮為中心
清初傳教士敬天學初探——以《古今敬天鑒》為中心
晚明儒家天主教徒孝觀重構
跨文化語境下的中國經典拴釋及其意義——以利安當《天儒印》為例

信仰與地方歷史敘事

神跡故事與晚明天主教傳播中的信息失真——以《口鐸日抄》和《勵修一鑒》為例
蔡伯多祿事考
一個地方儒生的信仰故事——福建天主教徒李嗣玄與艾儒略的交往過程及其思想轉變
耶穌會士艾儒略與明末士大夫交遊新證
“貞”與“性”的糾結：文化沖突的一種表現形式——以乾隆年間福安教案和蘇州教案中的貞女（1746—1748）為中心
土山灣孤兒院職業教育的發展及其天主教因素溯源

教案研究
清朝中後期“給還舊址”案研究
制度、人脈、個性——南昌教案交涉的潛流與晚清政治史的視野
人際、黨爭與教案——從《黃嗣永帛書》看早期天主教在朝鮮的傳播
耶穌會博雅教育理念在中國的傳播及實踐
被遺忘的“公教作家”李問漁——李問漁著譯考及研究現狀初探

綜述
“文本、敘事與歷史：上海大學第一屆明清天主教研究工作坊”綜述
傳承與更新：最近10年來漢語天主教研究的回顧與展望