Ming
Dynasty and Europe
Jesuits
in China
- Jesuits first visited Ming china as a scientist and astronomical teachers who shared and spread their knowledge to the Chinese population.
- Famous Jesuit Priests
1.
St Francis Xavier (1506-1552)
St.
Francis Xavier, also called as the sainted Apostle of the Indies,
dedicated his life in spreading Christianity in Asia. He was one of
the members who found the Society of Jesus took care of Portuguese
visitor in Ming China.
2.
Matteo Ricci (1552-1610)
Matteo
Ricci encountered the Chinese during the China Mission in 1583. He
was a Jesuit priest who not only had religious influence but also
social and academic.
Matteo
Ricci was a mathematician and a scientist. His books Geometrica
Practica and Trignometrica
were translated to Chinese and published the first maps of China.
Moreover,
the first six books of Euclid’s Elements were translated to
Chinese.
Idea
of trigonometry brought revolutionary innovation in Chinese field of
sciences of astronomy, mapmaking, calculation of time and date.
Matteo
fully understood and appreciated Chinese culture and today he is
known as a mediator between Chinese and European cultural encounter.
Until
today Matteo Ricci work in the study of mathematics, literature, and
apologetics is recognized and respected by the Chinese government.
Chinese
response to Christianity
*Chinese
respond to the Jusuit differed between the literati and the common
people.
Who
are Literati?
Literati
were most respected class in Ming Chinese society. Literati studied
classic Confucisionism and prepared for official examination.
Literati’s
Respond
The
Jesuits converted three influential scholars (Literati), Xu Guangqi,
LI Zhizao, and Yang Tingyun. These three scholars later became the
Three Pillars of the early Christian church in Ming China.
Xu
Guangqi : First Chinese literati to be baptized. (1611)
:
After Xu failed his official examination in 1597, he encounter Matteo
Ricci and dream about the Trinity. Later deeply inspired by the
painting of Madonna and the child, he was baptized.
Li
Zhizao: He was very closed to Matteo Ricci but refused to be
converted until he experienced a serious illness that almost killed
him.
Yang
Tingyun: He was converted and baptized after he met Father Cattaneo
and Trigualt.
Science
and Ming Dynasty
Clock:
Emperor
of Ming Dynasty was astonished by the design and function of clock
brought by the Europeans.
Ricci
“The clock was always kept before him (emperor) because he likes to
look at it and to listen to it ringing the time.”
The
Jesuit and other scientist from Europe also calculated the forecast
and time and duration of a solar eclipse in 1629.
Telescope:
When
Confucian scholars saw the telescope, they were astonished by how
this tool can be used in battle to see its enemy from distance, where
they are, how many horsed or cannon they have.
Economic
(Trade)
Silver
Trade – China traded its good such as silk porcelain and tea
with silver from the Europeans. Silver was important material for the
Chinese because it was used as a medium of exchange. Thus the silver
trade is the beginning of Chinese modern economic structure.
Problem
with Silver Trade- The Chinese monetary system was based on the
assumption that the amount of silver coming in to the country is
constant. But when number of extra silver from the foreign country
increased, Chinese economic system could not managed the extreme
imbalance in the exchange rate and experienced huge economic crisis
in the 1500s.
British
Tea
First
Chinese tea arrived in London in 1652.
