Title: The Hidden Link between East Zhejiang Scholars and European Missionaries at the Turn of the Ming and Qing Dynasties
Abstract:When European missionaries introduced Western culture to China in the first half of the 17~ th century, the famous scholar Liu Zongzhou founded the Ji Shan School in East Zhejiang, which developed gre...When European missionaries introduced Western culture to China in the first half of the 17~ th century, the famous scholar Liu Zongzhou founded the Ji Shan School in East Zhejiang, which developed greatly by his student Huang Zongxi. Many researchers have probed into the relations between the Ji Shan School and European missionaries, to only find some indirect evidence. The hidden link between Western missionaries and East Zhejiang scholars represented by the Ji Shan School is revealed by examining documents carefully, and the key person in the link is Zhu Zongyuan, a native of Yinxian. Zhu Zongyuan was one of the earliest Roman Catholics. He was born in 1617 or a little earlier, not in 1609 as presumed. He was baptized in 1638 by Louis Buglio, not in 1631 by Emmanuel Diaz Junior. He not only helped his European friends such as Jo a o Monteiro, Stanislas Torrente, Girolamo de Gravina to compile books about Christianity in Chinese, but also wrote several pamphlets preaching the Gospel.Under the influence of Zhu Zongyuan, his friend Zhang Nengxin became a Jesuit. Although Zhang Nengxin’s father Zhang Jiude toadied to the famous eunuch Wei Zhongxian while his father-in-law Liu Xianchong was firmly opposed to the eunuch.Zhang Nengxin’ wife was recorded in the official Ming History as a model female. Zhang Nengxin's conversion may be due to this peculiar family background. What is important is that Zhang Nengxin was a direct student of Liu Zongzhou, and even an excellent one. In 1646 when Qing soldiers conquered East Zhejiang, the two Chinese Jesuits Zhu Zongyuan and Zhang Nengxin took an opposite attitude. Zhu Zongyuan swore allegiance to the new dynasty immediately. He took part in the imperial examinations organized by the Qing government only some months later after Qing occupied this area and attained the Gongsheng degree, before attaining the higher degree Juren in 1648.Most literati contemporary with Zhu Zongyuan in East Zhejiang were opposed to the Qing Dynasty, which may explain why Zhu Zongyuan had not been mentioned in the voluminous works of these literati. However, since Zhang Nengxin was a brave anti-Qing soldier as Huang Zongxi, why is it hard to find any record of Zhang Nengxin in the works of Huang Zongxi and other literati The fact may be explained by their different religious beliefs. Huang Zongxi had an intimate friend named Wei Xuelian who was Liu Zongzhou’s student, too. Wei Xuelian, together with Zhu Zhongyuan helping the European missionary Jo a o Monteiro to write in Chinese, expressed his obvious inclination towards Christianity. It is very clear that Zhu Zhongyuan, Zhang Nengxin, Wei Xuelian and some others formed a hidden link between the Ji Shan School and the European missionaries.Read More
Publication Year: 2006
Publication Date: 2006-01-01
Language: en
Type: article
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