Title: Wu Li (1632-1718) and the First Chinese Christian Poetry
Abstract: Jesuit missionaries in China quickly grasped the fundamental importance of poetry in Chinese civilization. They realized that presenting Christian theology in poetic form would greatly enhance the effectiveness of their evangelization. Michele Ruggieri, S.J. (1543-1607) was already publishing Chinese poems of this type, probably with the extensive aid of Chinese converts. Some later Jesuits also attempted to forge a Christian folk poetry. Francois de Rougemont, S.J. (1624-76), issued a group of Cantiones rusticae. Herein we examine what may be surviving examples of these, modeled on authentic Chinese or Hakka folk poems. However, it was only with the famous painter Wu Li (1632-1718) that there emerged a large and aesthetically successful body of Chinese Christian poetry. Wu Li was baptized, became a Jesuit in 1682, and in 1688 was ordained a Catholic priest. Examples of his poems in shih and ch'u formats are here analyzed for theological content, as well as for their innovative use of classical Chinese allusions.
Publication Year: 2002
Publication Date: 2002-07-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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Cited By Count: 1
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