"Early modern discussions about ancient China : a new perspective on origin stories and the evolution of historical studies" / Chen Lejiamei

Published in Asian Studies vol. 13 (2)

Abstract

Early modern discussions about ancient China have largely been studied from the perspective of how images of ancient China were portrayed in missionary narratives. This article, however, attempts to investigate how interactions between China and Europe have contributed to the evolution of historical studies in early modern Europe.

By analysing different studies by Jesuit authors and European savants about ancient China, this article first traces how ancient Chinese history provides a new alternative to the origin stories of humankind, undermining the dominant biblical approach to history. While defending the old origin story, missionaries changed their narratives about ancient China. Further investigation into the historical sources used by Jesuit authors
shows the application of different materials across the two centuries, and these changes in materials also create a polyphony in their written accounts. By introducing various historical sources and textual traditions to Europe, missionaries, who served as intercultural agents, participated actively in the multiplication of primary sources for European historical research. The changing historical methodologies in the studies about ancient China are also examined, particularly how the transition from astronomical to linguistic methods occurred during the eighteenth century, reshaping the discourse on ancient China. This article tackles the important question of how intercultural exchanges about ancient Chinese history participated in the transformation of historical studies from a chronological study to modern historiography.

Chapter keywords (OCLC record):
Introduction. Making "Peace" with the East; The Pope's Two Letters; Carpini; Rubruck; Ascelin; The Mongols and Religion; An Embassy of Peace; Making Peace; Nestorianism; Christians and Others; Portugal and "Empire"; Tomé Pires; A Tale of Two Brothers; The Folangji; Padrões; Markers of "Discovery"; China as Empire?; Chinese Padrões?; The Portuguese as Inheritors; The King's Letter; The Portuguese Expulsion; Holland and "Trade"; Nieuhof; Trade and Tribute; Dutch Distortions; Schall Magalhães The Dutch Governor's Letter; The Chinese Translation; Divine Commerce; The Emperor's Decree; The Dutch Departure; References; The Pope's "Religion"; The Rites Controversy; Tournon's Motives; The Emperor's Intervention; True vs. False Missionaries; Mezzabarba; The Emperor's Skepticism; Christianity as Heterodox; "Of no consequence"; Russia and "Diplomacy"; The Treaty of Nerchinsk; "Mutual commerce"; Tulišen; Lange; Lange as "consul"; Permanent or Temporary?; "Mr. Agent"; The Treaty of Kiakhta; The Caravans Depart.

Local access dig.pdf. [Keevak-Embassies to China.pdf]

Foreign Devils and Philosophers : Cultural Encounters between the Chinese, the Dutch, and Other Europeans, 1590-1800 / Thijs Weststeijn.

Includes bibliographical references and indexes.

1. China, the Netherlands, Europe: Images, Interactions, Institutions and the Ideal of Global Cultural History / Thijs Weststeijn -- 2.  The Richest Country in the World: Dutch Knowledge of China and Cathay and How to Get There in the 1590s /  Djoeke van Netten -- 3.  Red-Haired Barbarians: The Dongxi Yangkao (1617) and its Portrayal of the Dutch in China /  Lennert Gesterkamp -- 4.  The Tartars in European Missionary Writings of the Seventeenth Century /  Dong Shaoxin -- 5.  Just Like Zhou: Chinese Visitors to the Netherlands (1597-1705) and Their Cultural Representation /  Thijs Weststeijn -- 6.  Chinese Petitions to the Dutch East India Company: Gambling on Formosa /  Joris van den Tol -- 7.  The "Unhappie Ruines" of Princess Mary ii's Lacquer Screen: Sir Constantijn Huygens's Plea to Preserve a Chinese Artefact, 1685-1686 /  Willemijn van Noord -- 8.  A Chinese Philosopher in European Dress: The Review of the First Latin Translation of Confucius (1687) in the Philosophical Transactions and Its Preoccupation with Chinese Chronology /  Trude Dijkstra -- 9.  The Relational Network of Court Jesuits in Local Provinces: The Example of Tomás Pereira (1689-1690) /  Chen Yufang -- 10.  Jesuit Libraries in Beijing and China in the Perspective of the Communication between Europe and China in the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries /  Noël Golvers -- 11.  Curiosity and Authority: Images of Europeans at the Qing Court during the Kangxi and Yongzheng Reigns /  Sun Jing -- 12.  The Origin of the Dutch Embassy to China in 1794 /  Cai Xiangyu.

What was the cultural impact of early meetings between Chinese and Europeans? This book explores visual, literary, and scholarly representations of the Celestial Empire and Western countries against the backdrop of actual encounters. Based on rare Chinese and, correspondingly, European (especially Dutch) sources and archival documents, the volume covers a range of cultural expressions from the applied arts to philosophy. Special attention goes to the ideals and realities of trade and diplomacy of the Dutch East India Company in China. Foreign Devils and Philosophers approaches global history from a cultural perspective and illuminates the reciprocal dynamic of aversion and admiration: Chinese and Westerners could appear as sages or savages in each other's eyes.--Publisher note.

Local access dig.pdf. [Weststeijn-Foreign Devils and Philosophers.pdf] 

Prospero Intorcetta S.J. : Sapientia Sinica ed Epistolario (I parte) / Luisa M. Paternicò and Davor Antonucci

Abstract (translated from Italian):

This volume is dedicated to the Sicilian Jesuit missionary Prospero Intorcetta (1625–1696) and his early writings, and forms part of a broader project aimed at producing a critical edition of his complete works, including his extensive correspondence. The texts are presented in facsimile or in transcription from the originals, accompanied by an Italian translation and a substantial critical apparatus designed to facilitate comprehension and to identify sources.

A central figure in the Jesuit mission in China, Intorcetta was a profound connoisseur of the Confucian thought and played a key role in its dissemination in Europe. He also held high offices within the Society of Jesus, which led him to report to Rome on missionary strategies during the Rites Controversy. In this context, he advocated forward-looking positions, including the training of a local clergy and the translation of canonical texts into Chinese, as well as the use of the Chinese language in liturgy.

The volume includes an updated chronology of Intorcetta’s life and works, his autobiography up to 1672, a first section of his correspondence (1646–1673), and a critical edition of the Sapientia Sinica (1662), which contains translations of the Confucian classics Great Learning and Analects (Books I–V), as well as a short biography of Confucius. The materials gathered, as the result of research conducted in numerous international archives, constitute a significant contribution to Sinological studies, missiology, and the history of the cultural exchange and dialogue between Europe and China.

Zhong-Xi wenhua jiaoliu xianqu 中西文化交流先驅 : cong Li Madou dao Lang Shining 從利馬竇到朗世寧 / Xu Minglong zhubian 許明龍主編.
Colophon title also in pinyin: Zhong-Xi wenhua jiaoliu xianqu 中西文化交流先驅.
"Zhong-Xi wenhua jiaoliu dashi nianbiao (1582-1793) 中西文化交流大事年表": p. 363-370.
Includes bibliographical references.